Niono | |
|---|---|
Commune and town | |
 A woman walks down a side street in Niono, during the dry season, January 2003. | |
  Niono Location withinMali | |
| Coordinates:14°15′0″N5°59′10″W / 14.25000°N 5.98611°W /14.25000; -5.98611 | |
| Country |  Mali |
| Region | Segou |
| Cercle | Niono Cercle |
| Area | |
• Total | 491 km2 (190 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 277 m (909 ft) |
| Population (2009 census)[2] | |
• Total | 91,554 |
| • Density | 190/km2 (480/sq mi) |
| (commune) | |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
Niono is a town andcommune located in theSégou Region ofMali. The commune has an area of approximately 491 square kilometers and includes the town and 20 of the surrounding villages.[3] In the 2009 census it had a population of 91,554.[2] The town is the capital of theNiono Cercle, one of seven subdivisions (cercles) of the Ségou Region. It lies on the northwest edge of theInner Niger Delta, near the main channel of theNiger River.
Niono is an important town of theOffice du Niger irrigation scheme which was established during the last decades of French colonial rule and continued after independence by theMalian state.[4] Water from the Niger River is diverted into a system of canals at theMarkala dam 35 km downstream ofSégou. The water flows north for 65 km in the Canal du Sahel and is then used to irrigate the flat alluvial plains around Niono that form part of the 'Delta Mort' (Dead Delta). Although the French colonial administration constructed the system to produce cotton for the textile industry, the main agricultural product is now rice. Each year around 2.7 km3 of water are diverted from the Niger corresponding to 8.3 percent of the total flow.[5] The water is used to irrigate about 750 square kilometers of farmland which in 1999/2000 produced 320,000 tonnes of rice representing 40 percent of the total Malian production.[6]
TheGreat Mosque of Niono is perhaps the most internationally recognized site in the town having received theAga Khan Award for Architecture in 1983.[7] A mosque on the site was constructed in 1945 and then subsequently enlarged. The present building dates from 1973. The mosques ofDjenné andMopti served as models.[8]
At least two major humanitarian projects have attempted to ameliorate the lives of people in Niono and the outlying areas. Led by American and MalianRotary Clubs andEngineers Without Borders (USA) Chapters, the groups surveyed in February 2008 a rainwater drainage channel. The drainage channel, known as a "collecteur de pluies" inFrench, runs 2 kilometers through the city center. During the rainy season, flooding causes havoc, and during the rest of the year, the drainage channel becomes a breeding ground for disease. The intent of the project is to minimize both the flooding and the unsanitary stagnant water in the drainage channel.[9]
A new paved road of is under construction between Niono andTimbuktu running to the north of theInland Niger Delta. The 565 km road will pass throughNampala,Niafunké,Tonka,Diré andGoundam.[10] The completed 81 km section between Niono and the small village of Goma Coura in the commune ofDogofry[11] was financed by theMillennium Challenge Corporation. This new section will service the Alatona irrigation system development of the 'Office du Niger'.[12] The 484 km section between Goma Coura and Timbuktu is being financed by theEuropean Development Fund.[10]
The climate is influenced by theWest African Monsoon. The average annual rainfall in the 35-year period between 1961 and 1995 was 504 mm, but there were large year-to-year fluctuations. In 1983, the driest year, only 291 mm fell, while in 1965, the wettest year, 820 mm was recorded. The rainfall normally only occurs between June and October. The hottest month is May, when the average maximum daily temperature is around 40 °C.[13]
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