The implementation of the project: "Satellite-based Water Resources Monitoring and Flow Forecasting System in the River Basin" within the framework of the Hydrological Satellite Project (SATH) in the Niger Basin has started. The Project was developed by the Niger Basin Authority (NBA) in collaboration with EARS and UNESCO-IHE in Delft, the Netherlands and is being implemented in the Niger Basin.

The SATH-ABN project is a satellite-based data and information collection system on hydrology, meteorology and agriculture, as well as monitoring the impact of climate change, floods and droughts in the Niger Basin. Its aim is to improve knowledge of water resources, guiding disaster risk prevention related to floods and droughts, food security, and the protection of the environment and ecosystems in the Niger Basin.

It aligns with the objectives of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to strengthen the institutional capacities of national and sub-regional bodies to formulate and implement effective climate-sensitive policies through the production and wide dissemination of reliable and high-quality climate information, with priority given to regional projects to encourage capacity building, cooperation and coherence at the regional level. The Niger River Basin faces significant development challenges, exacerbated by the effects of climate change. Climate variability contributes to high interannual variability in the Niger River flows and a reduction in the storage capacity of structural dams, resulting in water stress, erosion and siltation that cause flooding.

Furthermore, the low density of the automatic transmission equipment observation network in the Niger Basin and the lack of resources to support infrastructure management limit the capacity of the Niger Basin Authority (NBA) to adequately monitor water resources and produce flow forecasts to improve disaster preparedness. In this regard, the SATH-NBA project aims to strengthen the capacity of the NBA by establishing a satellite-based hydrological monitoring and disaster risk reduction system to support the water resources monitoring and hydrological forecasting system in the Niger Basin.

Thus, to ensure the monitoring role of the natural resources of the Niger Basin, the ABN has set up this system for monitoring and preventing disaster risks linked to floods and droughts based on satellite images through the SATH/ABN project , which aims to support the ABN in the collection of hydroclimatic data, capacity building and the establishment of a system for monitoring water resources and forecasting flows by satellite.

The project is aligned with the principles set out in the main NBA initiatives, policies and programs adopted by the governments of the beneficiary countries, including the Niger River Basin sectoral strategies and priorities in terms of water resources development, sustainable natural resource management, ecosystem protection and adaptation to climate change. The aim of the project is to improve knowledge of water resources guiding disaster risk reduction related to floods and droughts, food security as well as environmental and ecosystem protection.

The overall objective of the project is to support the NBA in collecting hydroclimatic data, building capacity and establishing a system for monitoring water resources and forecasting flows by satellite in the Niger River basin.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

SO1: Establish a system for monitoring water resources and forecasting flows using satellite imagery in the Niger Basin,

SO2: Strengthen the hydrometeorological observation networks and the technical and institutional capacities of the NBA,

SO3: Disseminate relevant information across the basin, accessible to all categories of users,

SO4: Promote the use of satellite data in monitoring water resources in the Niger Basin and disaster prevention.

The use of satellite-based technology in hydrology will strengthen the NBA's data collection capabilities to improve methods for developing hydroclimatic information needed for decision-making. Mastering this technology will also enable effective monitoring of floods, droughts and climate variability in the Niger Basin.

The implementation of the project will achieve the following results:

• a water resources monitoring and flow forecasting system using satellite imagery in the Niger Basin established and operational;
• the hydrometeorological observation networks and the technical and institutional capacities of the SHNs and DMNs of the NBA member states are strengthened;
• the use of satellite data in monitoring water resources in the Niger Basin and preventing natural disasters is popularized;
• climate information products related to floods and droughts at the basin level, accessible to all categories of users, are developed and disseminated.

These results will enable better adaptation of users to the impacts of climate change and variability for a significant reduction of poverty in the Niger Basin. The satellite information system on water resources in the Niger Basin, once appropriated by the NBA, constitutes a powerful decision-making tool because it will make it possible to address information products relating to integrated water management and environmental protection in the basin to enable the NBA to fully play its role as a transboundary basin organization.