BY MEKLIT WONDEWOSSEN
ADDIS ABABA – A central database system capable of predicting and recording overall water information like its depth, future quantity and the amount of soil it holds has been set up and would go operational soon.
Speaking to the Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA), the Ministry of Water and Energy, Hydrology and Basin Information Head Debebe Deferso said that the project would be fully completed and put into operation soon.
It was noted that the equipment has been entered into the country with all its spare parts following Sweden government assistance.
He said: “We have a device that tells how much soil is moving in the water, measures the level of water quality and the water level as well with the help of a telemetry system.”
He also said that the monitoring devices that send information from water bodies every 15 minutes have started working. The device shows how much water has been diverted from the basins and helps estimate the level of the rivers in the future.
As to the head, the devices are installed on river and water pumps so as to state the water information on the Awash River as a pilot move and works are being carried out to allow flood water to enter the underground in a systematic way.
It was learnt that a range of activities are being done to foster water undertake siltation in areas that are often susceptible to flood disaster such as in Dire Dawa, Afar and Somali states.
The central database system has employed comprehensive information from relevant bodies like the Ethiopian Meteorological Agency, National Disaster Risk Management Commission (NDRMC) and the Ministry of Water and Energy to have an integrated disaster risk forecast.
He also said the ministry has started working together with the World Bank not only to extract water from the ground but also to push it into the ground. “After the water extraction is done, it is known how much groundwater is enriched by recording the data. Having water resource information registration for water resources management allows identifying water for human and animal use. The database system also provides agricultural operators with real information as employing modern equipment enable to have accurate water information.”
“Dams, bridges and other infrastructures are built based on accurate information. If we predict the amount of water in advance, there will be resources that will save us from any water disaster.” There are sensors in dams and bodies of water that measure the volume and temperature of water. Researchers working on artificial intelligence have expressed their opinion to help properly measure the water level of water bodies and pay attention to it, as to him.
The system itself takes global water flow data, water flow information from our country and rain forecast from Ethiopian National Meteorological Agency to successfully forecast water flow by integrating previous disaster information taken from NDRMC.
The Ethiopian Herald February 16/2023
