Senegal River: The Falémé River is rising sharply, water levels are surging in Matam

On the tributaries, the Falémé River at Kidira reached 7.82 m this morning, compared to 7.19 m the previous day, representing a rise of 63 cm in twenty-four hours. It is well above its level at the same time last year, which was 5.82 m. The Bakoye River at Oualia is an exception, with a slight decrease to 4.36 m from 4.52 m.

This surge is reflected on the main axis. In Bakel, the water level is at 7.74 m compared to 7.61 m the day before, an increase of 13 cm, far from the alert level set at 10 m and below the 9.69 m recorded in 2025.

In Matam, the rise is more pronounced with 5.98 m compared to 5.28 m on Tuesday, an increase of 70 cm in one day, for an alert level of 8 m. In Podor, the river rises to 3.45 m compared to 3.39 m, while in Richard-Toll it remains almost stable at 2.75 m.

Upstream, the Manantali reservoir is at 205.34 m, compared to 208.56 m a year ago, below its normal level of 208.05 m, with a turbine flow rate of 180 m³/s. At Diama, the upstream level is at 2.15 m, compared to 1.54 m in 2025, with a release rate of 822 m³/s, compared to 1,432 m³/s last year. The water resources brigade specifies that the level is intentionally lowered to prepare for the passage of the flood without major consequences for Saint-Louis and to facilitate rapid evacuation towards the river mouth.

In Saint-Louis, the river is at 0.92 m on the scale compared to 1.29 m in 2025, for an alert level of 1.75 m. No station has reached its alert level and the levels remain generally lower than those of last year, with the exception of the Falémé.