Gambia River: Water levels continue to fall in Kédougou, despite increases recorded at several stations

The hydrological situation of the Gambia River is experiencing contrasting developments this Thursday, September 17, 2026. In Kédougou, the water level has fallen sharply in 24 hours, while the stations of Mako, Simenti and Gouloumbou are recording slight increases.

The level of the Gambia River continues to recede at the Kédougou station. According to the daily hydrological bulletin of the Tambacounda/Kédougou Water Resources Brigade, the water level measured this Thursday, September 17, 2026, at 8:00 AM is 4.16 meters, compared to 4.63 meters the previous day.

This represents a drop of 47 centimeters in 24 hours. Despite this decline, the water level remains 2.84 meters below the alert threshold of 7 meters. Over the course of a year, the decrease is even more pronounced: the water level is 2.38 meters lower than that recorded on the same date in 2025, when it reached 6.54 meters.

Price increases in Mako, Simenti and Gouloumbou

The trend is different at several other stations in the basin. At Mako, the water level is at 3.85 meters, compared to 3.76 meters the previous day, representing a rise of 9 centimeters. The station remains, however, 2.15 meters below its alert level, set at 6 meters.

In Simenti, the water level rose from 6.06 to 6.09 meters, an increase of 3 centimeters in 24 hours. With the alert level set at 13 meters, the difference remains significant, at 6.91 meters.

The same trend is observed in Gouloumbou, where the water level reached 6.30 meters, compared to 6.22 meters the previous day, representing a rise of 8 centimeters. The station remains 5.70 meters below its alert level of 12 meters.

Sharp drop in Thiokoye

The most dramatic drop reported in the bulletin concerns Thiokoye. The water level there fell from 3.76 to 2.42 meters, a decrease of 1.34 meters in 24 hours.

Compared to September 17, 2025, the decrease is limited to 11 centimeters.

In Niokolo-Koba, the water level recorded this Thursday was 2.48 meters. As the previous day's data was not yet available, no 24-hour change can be determined. However, the year-on-year comparison shows a decrease of 3.39 meters compared to the level recorded on September 17, 2025.

At Diarha Pont, the daily data is unavailable. The height recorded on September 16 was 1.84 meters, compared to 1.74 meters on the same date in 2025.

A contrasting hydrological situation

These readings thus highlight a contrasting situation on the Gambia River monitoring network: marked decline in Kédougou and Thiokoye, but rising levels in Mako, Simenti and Gouloumbou.

In Kédougou, the main monitoring point in the region, the water level remains significantly below the alert threshold, with a difference of 2.84 meters. The bulletin of September 17, 2026, also classifies the various monitoring points according to alert levels ranging from green to yellow.