Flood and drought warning systems are under development to aid Ghana and five other countries
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is aiding Ghana and five other Volta Basin riparian countries in developing a web-based flood and drought alarm system.
Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Togo are the other countries to benefit.
The Volta Basin Authority (VBA) and the Global Water Partnership in West Africa are working together on this project (GWP-WA).
Dubbed “Integrating flood and drought management and early warning for climate change adaptation in the Volta Basin (VFDM),” the project is supported by the Adaptation Fund, with technical assistance from the CIMA Research Foundation and others.
This was revealed at a three-day capacity-building workshop in Accra last Friday for technicians from agencies responsible for meteorology, hydrology, water resources management, water protection, and civil protection, among other things, for the development of flood impact and drought exposure maps of the Volta Basin.
To create the maps, the participants used new and existing data from global satellite imagery and geospatial data sources, national and local authorities, as well as data from other regional projects.
Mr Ramesh Tripathi, Project Manager of the Volta Basin Flood and Drought Management Project, said the workshop’s goal was to examine the susceptibility and impact of floods and drought exposure in the Volta Basin.
Similar courses for technicians in the five other countries had been held independently through a series of online engagements, he said.
“The technicians will assume responsibility of the methodological approach for evaluating drought exposure, as well as flood impact maps,” he disclosed
Having commenced in June 2019, the project is expected to be completed at the end of June 2023.
Source: Richard Mensah Adonu | Join our Telegram Group
