HEALTH IMPACT OF SMALL RESERVOIRS

Data collection and analysis is still underway for Burkina Faso and Morocco.

In Ethiopia, mosquito breeding occurs in seepage pools, in the gullies below the dams, in irrigation and drainage canals, in pools created by leaking canals, man made excavations for various purposes, and upstream where rivers drained into the dams. Hoof prints were the highly favored breeding sites in most of the study sites. An. arabiensis was the only malaria vector in the area, showing seasonal trends in density in both the aquatic and adult stages.

Findings from one dam where environmental larval control was implemented suggested that it is possible to reduce the abundance of malaria vectors with minimum interventions, using local resources. The most effective methods were draining of the swampy area below the embankment, propagation and maintenance of swampy plants in water-logged area along with the construction of simple drainage canals.