TITLE:
Identification of Optimal Dam Sites in Guinea Using a Digital Elevation Model (DEM)
AUTHORS:
Malé Camara, Ibrahima Mall, Siné Diakité, Papa Malick N’Diaye
KEYWORDS:
Hydropower Potential, GIS-Based Screening, Morphometric Analysis, SRTM Digital Elevation Model, Senegal River Basin, Rural Electrification, Guinea
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Modern Hydrology,
Vol.16 No.4,
September
15,
2026
ABSTRACT: Rural electrification in Guinea remains constrained by limited energy access, despite the country’s substantial and largely untapped hydropower potential, particularly in the upper catchments of major West African river systems. This study develops a GIS-based morphometric screening framework to identify and prioritise candidate hydropower dam sites in the Guinean headwaters of the Senegal River basin. A 30 m Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) digital elevation model was hydrologically conditioned and used to derive drainage pathways, flow accumulation, catchment boundaries and terrain attributes. Thirty-four sub-basins were characterised using key morphometric and topographic indicators, including contributing area, elevation range, total head difference, stream-segment length and mean slope. The relief structure proved highly heterogeneous, with slopes ranging from approximately 1% to more than 25% and elevation differences reaching 329.70 m. This geomorphic variability creates favourable conditions for localised hydraulic-head development, particularly in elevated sectors where drainage convergence, valley confinement and steep gradients coincide. Thirty-four candidate dam sites were identified, mostly distributed between 800 and 1500 m above sea level. Among the sub-basins analysed, BV2, BV3, BV4, BV7 and BV13 exhibit the strongest preliminary potential, combining relatively large contributing areas with pronounced altitudinal amplitude and favourable channel gradients. The findings demonstrate the value of remote-sensing-derived terrain analysis for early-stage hydropower reconnaissance in data-scarce regions. The proposed sites should nonetheless be regarded as pre-feasibility targets rather than final engineering locations, since detailed hydrological, geotechnical, environmental and socio-economic assessments remain necessary. The framework provides a reproducible spatial basis for prioritising field investigations and for supporting sustainable small- to medium-scale hydropower planning in Guinea.