2-MALI_Roadtrip_03
Fisherman at the Marakala bridge / dam between Bamako and Segou. The dam is 800 m in length and functions as a weir in that water can flow over the top. It diverts water into a canal system that extends 135 km to the north past the small towns of Niono and Sokolo in the 'Delta Mort' region. Each year around 2.7 km3 of water is diverted from the river, which corresponds to 8.3 percent of the total flow.[4] The water is used to irrigate about 750 square kilometers (75,000 ha) of farmland