The International Water Management Institute (IWMI), a non-profit global research organization, on Wednesday urged African countries to involve local communities in data collection on river discharge to boost water resource management.
According to the IWMI, the continent’s 63 transboundary rivers, which are a lifeline for millions, suffer from inadequate or outdated gauging stations, severely limiting the ability to monitor water flow and suitability for consumption.
The agency said that involving local communities in research would improve water monitoring for their safety.
“This decentralized approach, supported by capacity-building programs, can greatly strengthen the continent’s water management infrastructure, increase data availability and clean water resources,” the IWMI said in a statement released in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.
The IWMI noted that with mobile technology, local communities can provide valuable, real-time hydrological data that can be integrated into larger, more formal monitoring systems, adding that community engagement plays a pivotal role in enhancing river discharge estimation since local communities interact with the river daily as users.
The water research organization observed that African countries also need to apply remote sensing technologies to provide large-scale, high-frequency data that bridge the gaps created by the lack of on-the-ground monitoring stations.
Research conducted by the IWMI in 2024 indicates the importance of remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems, and machine learning in addressing Africa’s water data challenge.
Strategic investments in technology, robust policy frameworks, and collaborative efforts are essential to building a water-secure future for the continent amid growing climate uncertainties, said the IWMI.
The presence of many rivers on the continent, like the Nile and the Niger that flow across multiple countries, is a resource for collaboration between the countries it passes through, the IWMI said, urging countries to engage in transboundary community engagement, data sharing, and cooperative water agreements in the effective management of water resources.
In addition, the IWMI called for the establishment of regional data hubs, where countries can pool resources, share hydrological data, and make collaborative water management decisions. It also proposed the development of free, open-source data cubes and platforms, such as the Digital Earth Africa platform and the Africa GeoPortal, to allow for efficient storage and analysis of vast amounts of satellite imagery and related datasets, which can then be used to monitor river basins in real-time.
By integrating these platforms with discharge data, Africa can significantly enhance its ability to detect trends, predict anomalies, and manage water resources more effectively, said the IWMI.
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