Multi-criteria analysis for the prioritization of water supply intevention projects in a rural area in Senegal: the case of Diourbel region
Many programs and projects for water resources management have been initiated in Senegal to satisfy an increasing demand for water, especially in rural areas. The lack of sufficient funding requires that these projects be spread over time. Therefore, prior to any technical or economic feasibility study, it is necessary to identify the higher priority areas. This study presents a multicriteria analysis for ranking rural subareas in Senegal, in particular in the region of Diourbel, in terms of the priorities of water supply needs. After having identified the objectives related to water supply on the regional scale, six quantitative and qualitative criteria were defined. These criteria pertain to the available water quality, the available quantity of water for domestic needs, the distance to water distribution points, the availability of water for agriculture, the acceptability of water costs and the development potential of a rural subarea. Indicators are proposed for each criterion based on the data available at the time of the study. Criteria weights were obtained from various water resource management stakeholders in Senegal. Our multicriteria analysis led to the ranking of eight districts of the Diourbel region in terms of intervention priority. An analysis enabled us to evaluate the effect of the criteria weights on the district rankings. Our experience with this project has identified the difficulties associated with conducting a multicriteria analysis in the Senegalese context, while emphasizing promising application possibilities.