Magazine OMVS 1972 - 2002. 30 years of existence. A successful example of sub regional integration and cooperation in relation to the coordinated and concerted development of a river basin in Africa

M, : Mo hanted Salen: Ould Mcr::o/lg OMVS High Conunissioner Elaboration, appropriation and resort to etlicient management tools in order to avoid incertainties and meet challengers of the future. Our efforts are aimed at securizing, regularizing, controlling and diversifying the utilization of water resources with a view to meeting the huge requirements called for by sustainable development. Our constant concern for sustainable utilization of the resource is unrivalled and undaunted is our willpower to protect, preserve and nnprove our environment. Crowning ofan enterprise Qualitati ve/y strengthen ed today by the elabora tion of the Charter (~f Waters together with a co nstantly evolv ing prosp ective vis ion, the es ta blis hment of our Organisation wa s in 1972 a daunting challe nge which, by the g race of god, is now about to be met. Our present da y co ntex t is full qf un certainty, associated not on/y with th e e rratic flu ctuations of bioclitnatic va riables , but also with a soniewha t liarsh , dreadjul, overwheltning and constan t/y changing globa l env iro nment. ln this resp ect , carly enough, did the OMVS tnake of co ntrol and understanding of the river hydro system a priority axis of intervention. Avoiding uncertainties and meeting challe nges ofthefuture could he achieved on/y through th e elabo ration, appropriation and utilisation ofeffici ent managem ent too/s. The Reservoirs Managem ent Optimisation Prog ramme (POGR) , complet ed today , exemp lifies the st rateg ie scope of (Ill optimum management of th e resou rce and of a transparent and stric t implementation of our vangua rd and inn ovative text, namcly the Charter of Waters. ln the course of the rime se quence conside red liere , we ha ve recorded highly positive results that made possible the se d imentati on of a cap ita l qf experience tha t co ns titutes today our main strength. Among these ach ievements. of note are th e Manantali Hvdroel ectric dam, th e Diama Headwork and its an cillarv structures , the Environment ùl Impact Mitigation and Monitoring Programme (PA S/E) , th e Senegal Ri ver Basin Water and En vironmental Resources Management Programme (GEF/ SRB) and th e Navigation Pro ject, just to name these fe w. CLEARLY DEFINED AND BEACONED PERSPECTIVES The way to go in th e co urse of the next decade ha vin g thus been clearly defined and bea coned, our Organisation sliall rel entlessly pursu e its ef o rts aimed at securiri ng, regularizing, co ntro lling and di ve rs ifying the utilisation of water resources with a view to meeting the huge requirenients ca lledfo r by sustainable devel optnen t, This option is /ist ed under a g lobal strategv des igned to impulse optimum devel optnent in the Ri ver Basin th rou gh grea te r massification of flo ws and exclianges wi thi n th e "OMVS Space" (es pecially with the implemen tation of th e Naviga tion Project ) and al so with a co ntrolled reduc tion of p roduction costs througli increased offer in te rms of hydropowet: The co ntenip lated co ns truction of the so-called Second Gen eration struc tures of Fe/ou, Go uina and Gourbassi ca n be list ed unde r this persp ective. Furthermore , our co nstan t co nce rn f or sustainable utiliration of the resource is un rivalled and undaunted is our willpowe r to prot ect , p rese rve and imp rove our env ironmen t. ln this respect, the Obse rva tory oft he Environn ient and the GEF