Improved hydrological monitoring system crucial for water resources management

Nellie Kapatuka

LILONGWE-(MANA)-Malawi has for a long time been experiencing a lot of major floods and droughts, and these events keep on increasing in magnitude and scope over the years.

Flooding was particularly severe in 2015, killing over 250 people and displacing 230, 000 others with over 600, 000 people being affected.

In the absence of automated hydrological monitoring systems, the country was unable consistently detect impending floods as well as monitor its water levels.

In a quest to improve hydrological data colection which also aids the designing of dams, water supply systems, bridges and dykes among other structures, the Department of Water Resources has constructed twenty-two Data Collection Platforms (DCPs), in twenty two hydrological monitoring stations across the country.

The platforms which will have automated data reading equipment installed and connected to a server that is designed to send automated messages, will assist the department in collecting accurate data which will assist in processing of hydrological forecasts and warnings for impending floods.

According to Chikondi Mbemba, a Principal Hydrologist in the department, the improvement in the water monitoring system will help in assessing the real time status of water levels as well as the battery in all the stations from the web portal.

“The platforms are strategically located for the purpose of early flood warning as well as water level monitoring, this will greatly assist our department which mostly has challenges in getting accurate data in the absence of gauge readers,” said Mbemba

The Data Collection Platforms have been constructed in the country’s 10 districts namely Lilongwe, Kasungu, Salima, Nkhotakota, Nkhatabay, Mzimba, Karonga, Chitipa, Mangochi and Zomba.

Welcoming the new development, Joshua Mpokwa, Assistant Hydrological officer at the Lilongwe District Council, said the new automated system will ensure consistency in data collection which used to be a challenge in the past when they solely relied on gauge readers to collect data.

“The new system is cost effective as physical monitoring will be done once in every three months unlike the old system where we were required to go and physically monitor each and every month,” he said.

Additionally, Mpokwa said the system is set to send data in excel package to make it easy to simplify and disseminate it.

Coming of the DCP houses, has also excited community members who have pledged full support in proper management and protection of the structures.

Group Village Head Sumayili, Traditional Authority Namkumba in Mangochi District, applauded the upgrading of the station saying it will help the people at Namwera Trading Centre to warn the people living downstream of Masongola River about impending floods as water levels would be monitored up stream.

The construction of the DCP houses has been made possible through the Modernised Climate Information and Early Warning System (M-CLIMES) project, a six year initiative aimed to help safeguard people’s livelihoods and protect them from extreme weather and other changes in climate under a partnership between the Malawi Government and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).