Blue Deal - 'Dji Don' (Mali)

Mali is a landlocked country that is experiencing a high population growth. The majority of Mali’s inhabitants live in rural areas whilst the capital city Bamako continues to grow as a metropole. At the same time, the wastewater system in Bamako has been unable to match the city’s rapid growth: households and industries of Bamako are faced with an extremely insufficient waste water system and lack sanitaiton services. Eight waste water treatment plants have been built in Mali over the past decades, but they function poorly and are not properly managed. 

World Waternet partners with ANGESEM since 2016 (see project: PCA GIRE in Mali (You are leaving this website)). The main focus of this Blue Deal partnership is to continue to improve the functioning of the plants through the strengthening of ANGESEM, the responsible operator. The treatment plant in Bamako was designed to filter process organic waste water, but instead, the influent now exists of industrial waste only. The treatment plant therefore, does not function. As a result wastewater and faecal sludge are not properly managed and practices are dangerous for the environment and affect public health. Together with ANGESEM, Dutch water professionals will work to change this situation by supporting the strengthening of ANGESEM’s technical knowledge and organisational capacities. 

ΓÇÿDji DonΓÇÖ means ΓÇÿwater knowledgeΓÇÖ or ΓÇÿwater giftΓÇÖ in the local Bambara language.

This partnership aims to upscale wastewater treatment (investments) in Mali and to professionalize ANGESEM's operations. In doing so, this partnership will improve, increase and ensure the local understanding, capacity and planning of wastewater treatment, which will lead to a higher effluent quality and reduced river pollution of the Niger river.