Abstract:
During the last three decades, increasing population, changing patterns of water demand, and concentration
of population and economic activities in urban areas has pressurize Senegal’s freshwater resources. To
overcome this deficit, Senegal turned to the exploitation of Lake Guiers. It is the sole water reservoir in the
country and its water is use for irrigating crops and sugar refinery, as well as a drinking water resource for
urban centres. To address the challenges that climate change and population growth poses in Lake Guiers
water resources, it is necessary to consider its potential impacts on different dimensions of water resources.
In this study, future water availability and demand has been modelled under scenarios of climate change
and population growth until 2030, based on the representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5
by applying the Water Evaluation And Planning System model (WEAP). The results show that the pressure
on Lake Guiers’s water resources will increase, leading to greater competition between agriculture and
municipal demand site. Decreasing inflow due to climate change will aggravate this situation. WEAP
results offer basis to Lake Guiers water resources manager for an efficient long-term planning and
management.
