Hydrological data collected this Thursday morning at the main stations in the Gambia River basin confirm a general downward trend in water levels, a sign of the gradual end of the rainy season in the Kédougou region.

According to information gathered by the Water Resources Brigade of Tambacounda–Kédougou, almost all the monitored stations show a decline in levels compared to the previous day and to the same period of the previous year.

The tributaries are in sharp decline

At Diaguiri, one of the river's tributaries upstream from Mako, the water level fell by 6 cm, from 1.79 m to 1.73 m in 24 hours. However, it remains significantly lower than that observed on the same date in 2024, when the height reached 2.27 m.

The same situation was observed at Afia Pont (Thiokoye), where a slight decrease of one centimeter was recorded, with the current height at 1.76 m compared to 1.77 m the previous day. There too, the level remains below the 1.95 m recorded at the same time last year.

On the Niokolo Koba side, no data was transmitted this morning, although the height observed yesterday was 5.25 m.

The stations of Sinthiou Malème and Goumbayel show a total cessation of flow, while at Diahra Pont, the water level remained too low to reach the measuring scale.

The Gambia River is receding at Kédougou, Mako and Simenti

In Kédougou, the river level is 2.71 m, compared to 2.75 m the previous day, a decrease of 4 cm. This level is well below the alert threshold set at 7 m. At the same time in 2024, the river peaked at 2.95 m.

The same trend is observed at Mako, where the water level has receded by 8 cm, from 2.98 m to 2.90 m. Here again, the level is lower than that recorded last year (3.01 m). The alert level is set at 6 m, a threshold far from being reached.

In Simenti, the water level has receded more significantly: a drop of 19 cm in one day, with the level measured at 4.15 m compared to 4.34 m on October 29. The alert level at this station remains at 13 m.

Gouloumbou: noticeable decrease but situation under control

Finally, at Gouloumbou, the furthest downstream station, the water level recorded this morning was 4.66 m, down 19 cm compared to the previous day (4.85 m). This level remains well below the alert threshold (12 m), and also below that of the same period last year, when the river peaked at 12.61 m.

An expected seasonal trend

These successive decreases are part of the natural dynamics of the emerging dry season. Experts point out that the decline observed in October is typical of the post-rainy period, marking the transition to low water levels in the coming weeks.