The town of Savè is located at 260 km distance from Cotonou on the national road direction Parakou. Savè is a transit point between Cotonou, Parakou and several frontier towns to Nigeria and is surrounded by a chain of hills in North-South direction. In 1992 the population of the town of Savè amounted to 19,880 inhabitants (annual growth rate of 2.3 %) resulting in a population of 34,000 inhabitants in the year of horizon 2008 including neighbouring villages.

The agro-industrial sugar complex SUCOBE, operator of the Ilauko barrage, is situated at 12 km distance from Savè. The production level of the water supply system amounts to 41,000 m³ with 354 subscribers at the end of 2000. The development of the water supply system is impaired by the insufficient resources which cannot cover the demand. Supply with underground water cannot be realised at an acceptable price and the water does not reach certain higher areas of the town.
Consequently the studies carried out came to the result that the drinking water supply must be reinforced by using surface water. In March 2007 the SONEB therefore ordered a feasibility study for the reinforcement of the drinking water supply of the towns of Savè, Dassa-Zoumè and Glazoué by exploiting the water resource of the Ilauko barrage. Based on the results of that study SONEB negotiated with SUCOBE on the use of a certain water quantity to be fed into the water supply system of Savè. Subsequently a preliminary contract was signed between SONEB and SUCOBE: 800 m³/d can be drawn from the barrage for the water supply system of the town of Savè.

The main measures proposed are:

• Withdrawal of 800 m³/d of water from the barrage by means of a hydromobile type intake.
• Construction of a water treatment plant (capacity 760 m³/d; flocculation, decantation, filtration and disinfection) at about 9.3 km distance from the barrage, including a 2 x 100 m³ treated water storage tank.
• Transport of treated water: pumping station at the treated water storage tank: 50 m³/d, HMT 104 mm. Pumping to the town of Savè by a pressure pipe of 11.5 km length to a ground level storage tank of 250 m³ beside an existing tank of 200 m³ capacity.
• Extension and compression of the distribution network of Savè: The total length is planned at 16 km in PVC, DN_max 100 mm. In addition 360 connections are scheduled.

Services Provided

• Critical study of the selected measures of the feasibility study and proposals for improvements
• Analysis of the raw water quality at the barrage of Ilauko and proposal for an appropriate treatment method
• Elaboration of detailed technical design for the structures and equipment
• Elaboration of the tender dossier