THE SEDIMENTATION CHALLENGES ON THE LAKE BAM IN BURKINA FASO

Abstract

Lake Bam located in Burkina Faso to the north of the capital Ouagadougou, is the largest natural reservoir of water in the country. In recent years, Lake Bam has experienced a gradual reduction of its storage capacity. During the dry season, it loses well over 70% its wet season capacity. This keeps getting worse each year as it does not recover the  full  capacity  of  the  previous  season.  Chief  among  the  major  causes  of  this  reduction  is  the  phenomenon  of sediment deposition in the bed of the lake. In a quarter century Bam  Lake has lost a third of its depth. This paper reviews the sedimentation issues on the Lake Bam using   Professional publications, like journal articles, conference symposia, and recent documents related to sedimentation issues of the Lake Bam with the objec tive to propose solutions that will help restore or increase the storage capacity. Recent advances have aided in understanding and
implementing improvement strategies within the basin. However, it was discovered that challenges like erosion, use of fertilizers and pesticides, and climate change effects are prevalent throughout the basin, creating negative environmental  impacts  for  humans,  wildlife,  and  especially  aquatic  life.  Watershed  management,  catchment rehabilitation and conservation activities such as control of upland erosion, protection of marshes and wetlands as well  as  tackling  climate  change  impacts  are  proposed  as  possible  remediation  strategies  in  reversing  the  rapid
sedimentation of Lake Bam in Burkina Faso.

Key words: Sedimentation, conservation, erosion, climate change