1.1.1.WATER RESOURCES Niger depends on external sources for nearly 90 per cent of its water. The 550km-long River Niger is the only permanent river in the country. It crosses the southwest from the border with Mali and Nigeria to Benin, then flows to a large plain cut by dry valleys. Finally, the Niger meets the major, cross-border Irhazer Lullemeden and Chad basins. Renewable water resources are generally estimated at 33.65km3/yr, of which 31.15km3 is surface water and 2.5km3 is groundwater. Weather conditions are arid and semi-arid over most parts of the country. This means renewable water resources are very irregular. Only a portion of renewable resources are actually usable by Niger for technical, economic, environmental and geopolitical reasons. The share regularly available (around 90 per cent of the time) of surface and groundwater is only 5km3/yr. According to IRIN (2006), Niger has an estimated 2.5 billion m3 of underground renewable water. But only 20 per cent of this is currently exploited, according to UNICEF. In addition to its underground water sources, Niger also has the Niger River, the Komadougou River and Lake Chad. About 29km3/yr of surface water flows in the Niger River. There are fluctuations in flow volume due to weather conditions (“cycles” of drought). Thus, the average volume of the River Niger in Niamey from 1929 to 1991 was 28km3/yr, or 32km3/yr from 1929 to 1968 and 23km3/yr from 1969 to 1991. In addition, evaporation causes losses, while seepage losses are limited. In the far east, Lake Chad has withdrawn more and more, disappearing inside the borders of Niger in 2004, leaving only the Komadougou Yobe as an intermittent source of surface water. Since the late 1970s, this body of water has considerably decreased, due to fewer contributions from the Chari and less rain. Niger has about 20 dams of medium capacity, allowing the storage of 0.1km3 of water. Silt increases the risk of water shortages. Measurements of sediment transport give concentrations ranging from 10.5-52g/L and specific degradation of 2,100-4,200 tonnes/km2 per year. Thus the dams of the Maggia Ader Doutchi have lost 13 to 80 per cent of capacity in less than 15 years. The total volume of renewable groundwater resources is estimated at between 2.5 and 4.4km3/yr. The major aquifers are: -Alluvial aquifers, particularly the Goulbi Maradi, those of the valleys of the Air and Kori Teloua, Koris, the area of the Ader-Doutchi-Maggia, the Dallol Bosso, Maouri Foga, the Komadougou and Koram; -Discontinuous bedrock aquifers, especially Liptako and Damagaram-Mounio; -Aquifers of the Continental Terminal and Continental Hamadien; -The water of the Pliocene of the Lake Chad Basin; -Manga of the water table in the Lake Chad Basin; -The Sandstone Aquifer of Agadez. Niger has significant wetlands, but only 2,200km2 are protected and registered under the Ramsar Convention. The lack of rain in the past 20 years has led to the destruction of natural vegetation and reduced agricultural productivity. 

(Water Risk Filter)