TIEMOKO Tonga Paul

Centers of excellence involved :

• CEA-MEM (INPHB)
• CEA-EM (EMIG)

Title:
Assessment of the influence of mining activities on the water resources of the Taabo hydroelectric dam lake (Côte d'Ivoire).

Scientific project summary:
Most gold deposits in West Africa are located in a geological context where primary mineralization is often associated with sulfides (Diarra et al, 2018). Their exploitation produces waste heaps whose open-air storage can be a source of acid production and heavy metals that infilt and pollute water. With the current gold rush, there are several sites that are sources of impacts on the natural environment. 

In Côte d'Ivoire, there are several gold panning sites in the area between the Kossou hydroelectric dam and the Taabo dam, which is the outlet for all the water drained into the Bandama sub-watershed. It therefore appeared necessary to assess the influence of these mining activities on the water resources of Lake Taabo. The objectives of this research project are to map and study the spatio-temporal dynamics of mining sites upstream of Lake Taabo, to determine the geochemical background of metals in the natural environment with a view to determining the indices of geoaccumulation and pollution in the lake, and to analyze the lake's sediments, waters and fishery resources.

This work should lead to the determination of the pollution level of Lake Taabo, an active fishing ground and the main source of fish resources for the region and Abidjan, the capital of Côte d'Ivoire.