Faguibine Wetland

Faguibine is a wetland located in northern Mali, in the vicinity of Goundam district in Timbuktu Region. It is the largest interconnected lake system fed by the Niger River when the river is in flood. During periods of high water levels, it was among the most extensive bodies of water in the southern Sahara and supported fishing, agriculture, and pastoralism.

Since the severe droughts that affected the Sahel in the 1970s and 1980s, water levels in the wetland have declined sharply. For extended periods the lakes have been dry or contained very little water, altering the livelihood strategies of local populations.

Geography and hydrology

Faguibine is not a permanent or uniform body of water. Its waters come from the Niger River via canals and smaller connecting lakes. When the river floods—typically from its peak in summer through the start of winter—water moves through natural channels and into smaller lakes, including Télé and Takara, before reaching Faguibine. The water level in the wetland thus depends directly on the magnitude of the annual flood.

Desiccation and consequences

Causes attributed to declining water levels include reduced rainfall in the Sahel region, decreased flooding of the Niger River, and obstruction of canals and waterways by silt, dams, and vegetation, especially trees used for fuel. When channels become blocked, water does not reach the lakes even in years of good rainfall.

Local populations—including farmers, fishers, and pastoralists—face economic hardship. Some have shifted to agriculture on exposed lake beds during dry periods, while others have left the area. The Government of Mali and development organizations have periodically initiated projects to clear the canals to restore water flow.