TITLE:
Mapping of Flood-Prone Areas and Assessment of Water Resources at the Tongon Site (M’Bengue, Northern Côte d’Ivoire): Implications for the Siting of a Photovoltaic Power Plant
AUTHORS:
Blaise Koffi Yao, Anzoumanan Kamagate
KEYWORDS:
Flooding, Multicriteria Analysis, Water Resources, Hard-Rock Aquifer, Arsenic, Photovoltaic Power Plant, Côte d’Ivoire
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Geosciences,
Vol.17 No.10,
October
30,
2026
ABSTRACT: This study maps flood-prone areas and assesses the water resources of the Tongon site (M’Bengue department, northern Cote d’Ivoire), proposed for a 30 MWp solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant. We combined a hydrological and hydrogeological field campaign (May 2022) with climate records from the Korhogo synoptic station (2016-2021), borehole data from the National Office of Drinking Water (NODW), and pedological and geotechnical surveys by the LABOGEM consultancy. A flood-risk map was produced by multicriteria analysis, crossing a hazard map with a vulnerability map. Flood risk is low to moderate and confined to the banks of the Katie River, whose August-September floods reach 16 cm of water at the site boundary. The measured low-flow discharge of the Katie is 1.912 L/s (6.88 m3/h). The available water resources (rainwater, surface water, and groundwater from the weathered regolith and bedrock fractures) amount to 65,551,120 L/year, far above the plant’s requirements of 740,000 L/year. The waters, however, are contaminated by arsenic, most likely of natural origin (arsenopyrite), and need treatment before any domestic use. We recommend a drainage channel to intercept floodwater and divert it to the Katie River to secure the plant.