Banjul, Gambia 4

The River Gambia is not entirely saltwater, but it is a mix of freshwater and saltwater, making it a tidal estuary in its lower reaches and freshwater further upstream. The water is saltwater or brackish in the lower part of the river for about 250 km from the mouth, especially during the dry season, while the upper sections remain freshwater.

Lower River: In the lower, coastal part of the river, saltwater intrudes and can make the water brackish or saline, particularly during the dry season.

Upper River: Further upstream, where the river is no longer influenced by the tides, the water is freshwater. The point where the freshwater begins varies, but it starts around 120 km from the mouth and extends for hundreds of kilometres inland.

That the water is saline up to 250 km from the mouth of the river, which corresponds to the western half of the country, where most of the people live, makes the Gambian population particularly dependent on fresh groundwater, which is found at shallow depth throughout the country.

As an aside, I have been impressed with the ample pipe borne water supply to homes here in the Gambia. People have water meters and pay water bills. One might think this was a rarity if one's experience was limited to the DIY water supply situation in Nigeria, my home country. But this, in fact, is the more common case across the continent.

Swimming

The River Gambia is known to have crocodiles, which are common along the length of the river and in tributaries, and hippos, which reside upriver in the central regions. One should avoid swimming anywhere along the river, as well as various streams as one could encounter some of these animals.

Swimming in freshwater creeks can hold other risks such as contracting various diseases. Tiny flukes released by freshwater snails harbour the disease schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia, which can be passed onto one by the parasitic worms, which enter through the skin.