Ponds of the Sylvopastoral Zone of Senegal: Evolution and Role in Pastoral Populations’ Production Strategies

As most Sahelian regions of Africa, the sylvopastoral zone of Senegal (SPZ) is an area where there is an acute problem of water availability even though ponds are abundant. During all the rainy season, these ponds are traditionally used by humans and animals. Their utilization did not decrease in spite of the implementation of a major hydraulic program based on ground water development. These ponds therefore continue to be used up to their last drops. However, more and more changes have been observed in their water holding capacity and in the quality of their water. Human and animal schistosomosis occurrence is currently low, but the mollusk, the intermediate host, and the parasite are present especially in the south of the area studied. Due to increasing difficulties in managing hydaulic works (boreholes and wells), public authorities initiated ten years ago a water implementation program of the watersheds of the area. The paper presents the implementation of this program, in which the improvement of ponds constitutes a major component in SPZ