Lake Sélingué

Lake Sélingué was created in the 1980s when the Sankarani river was dammed for hydroelectricity and irrigation, flooding a large area southwest of Bamako, and it has become one of the country's main inland fisheries, with thousands of people working it from pirogues and the catch smoked and sent north. Waterbirds use the shallows in numbers. Small lodges operate on the shore and it is the nearest lake escape from the capital. The dam supplies a substantial share of the country's electricity, and the settlements around the shore grew up almost entirely after the water rose.

Background

The reservoir covers 409 square kilometres at its maximum, where the Sélingué Hydroelectric dam blocks the Sankarani River. Average depth is 5.3 metres, with a maximum of 20 metres, and the volume is 2.166 km3. Only Lake Manantali, created by the Manantali dam in 1988, is a larger artificial lake in Mali. The water rises in the rainy season and drops in the dry one, which allows farming on irrigated plots. The biggest of the shoreline communities are La Carrière and Faraba. Fishing employs more than 8,000 people and lands around 4,000 tonnes a year, and most of the fish available in Bamako comes from here.

Source: Wikipedia, "Lake Sélingué"

What you'll find

• The fishery - thousands of people working the lake from pirogues.
• The dam - the 1980s structure that created the reservoir.
• The waterbirds - the species concentrating in the shallows.
• The shore lodges - the small accommodation used by visitors from Bamako.

When to go

November to February is the cool dry season. Water levels drop through the dry months. The rains from June raise the lake.

Good to know

Bilharzia is present and swimming carries real risk. Facilities are basic. The road down from the main highway is rough in stretches.

Nearby

Bamako is northeast, and Wassoulou country is south.

Key facts