HydroAs

Design and install low-cost sensors to monitor the flow of rivers and water bodies in flooded and flood-prone areas, and combine them with the use of drones in order to forecast and alert on flooding events.

The challenge

Every year, during the rainy season, many countries in West and Central Africa are affected by flooding events. The overflow of water causes several damages in the surrounding villages and towns, such as human life loss, houses, infrastructures, crops and fields destruction, food insecurity... In 2020, flooding affected 2.7 million people, 422,000 hectares of farmland, and destroyed 197,000 houses in West and Central Africa (Source: U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs). These numbers clearly highlight the need for robust and reliable flood forecasting systems adapted to the conditions of West and Central Africa.

The solution

Design low-cost and autonomous sensors, powered by solar energy and adapted to low and middle-income countries. These sensors will be installed in a network that will monitor rivers and water bodies' levels, and other parameters, and transmit live information to an online platform. The data collected will be used in combination with high-resolution images provided by drones, to map flooded and flood-prone areas and evaluate flood risks by making weekly and monthly predictions of river flows. Such information will help to alert populations in the case of an emergency. It can also help in designing the built environment and future urban and rural areas planning.