Editing Niger River (section)

== Management and development ==

The water in the Niger River basin is partially regulated through dams. In Mali the [[Sélingué Dam]] on the [[Sankarani River]] is mainly used for hydropower but also permits irrigation. Two diversion dams, one at [[Sotuba]] just downstream of [[Bamako]], and one at [[Markala]], just downstream of [[Ségou]], are used to irrigate about 54,000 hectares.<ref name="FAO"/> In Nigeria the [[Kainji Dam]], [[Shiroro Hydroelectric Power Station|Shiroro Dam]], [[Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Station|Zungeru Dam]], and [[Jebba Hydroelectric Power Station|Jebba Dam]] are used to generate hydropower.

The water resources of the Niger River are under pressure because of increased water abstraction for irrigation. The construction of [[Dam|dams]] for [[Hydropower|hydropower generation]] is underway or envisaged in order to alleviate chronic power shortages in the countries of the Niger basin.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2015/03/04/niger-basin-countries-collaborate-on-hydropower-irrigation-and-improved-water-resource-management |title=In the Niger Basin, Countries Collaborate on Hydropower, Irrigation and Improved Water Resource Management |work=World Bank |access-date=2017-09-20 |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920195403/http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2015/03/04/niger-basin-countries-collaborate-on-hydropower-irrigation-and-improved-water-resource-management |archive-date=2017-09-20}}</ref> The [[FAO]] estimates the irrigation potential of all countries in the Niger river basin at 2.8 million hectares. Only 0.93m hectares (ha) were under irrigation in the late 1980s. The irrigation potential was estimated at 1.68m ha in Nigeria 0.56m ha in Mali, and the actual irrigated area was 0.67m ha and 0.19m ha.<ref name="FAO" />