19^th September 2022: Rwanda officially received from the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), equipment for the installation of six hydrological monitoring stations (hydromet) in the country.

The stations will support water quality and sediment monitoring in several rivers that fall within the Nile River basin in the country.

The NELTAC members including Robert Duhuze Remy, the Monitoring and Quality Control Division Manager at the Rwanda Water Resources Board (RWB), and Jacqueline Nyirakamana, the Transboundary Water Resources Cooperation Specialist at the Ministry of Environment received the equipment from the NBI European Union (EU-BMZ) Hydromet Project on behalf of the Government of Rwanda.

 “These hydromet stations will provide real-time data and more reliable information to improve water resources planning and management both at national and regional levels,”

“They will enable better flood and drought disaster preparedness, monitoring of surface water quality and sediment transport, coordinated management of water storage dams, navigation, and improved adaptation to climate change,” said Jacqueline Nyirakamana.

Besides, their testing was witnessed by Dr. Emmanuel Rukundo, the Director General, and Everaste Nsabimana, the Deputy Director General of the Rwanda Water Resources Board (RWB).

“The hydromet stations will address the gap related to the availability of data, particulary with regard to groundwater. Additionally, they will provide us with daily updates and aid with future floods forecasting,” added Dr. Emmanuel Rukundo.

In Rwanda, the hydromet stations will be installed at six (6) locations namely: Gihinga in Bugesera District, Akagera Outlet and Kagitumba in Nyagatare District, Ruliba in Nyarugenge District, and at Gakindo and Cyohoha Shell.

Installations of the stations begun on 20^th September 2022 at Akagera River, and will continue for a week.

As part of this hydrological package, Rwanda has received water level and rainfall sensors, data loggers, accessories necessary for installation/ rehabilitation of the six selected stations, equipment for water discharge measurements (ADCP) dual data transmission technology (GPRS and Satellite) with the option to switch to either for compliance with the national policy and country limitations.

Rwanda has also received a toolkit for water quality and sediment transport monitoring. Information products generated from data collected at the regional stations will be considered as final information for decision making and the country is putting in place a mechanism for sharing these. Upon completion of installation, the hydromet stations will be handed over to the country for operation and maintenance.

Training of national staff for this purpose is ongoing, and  in addition the national data centre will also be equipped.

Background to the Hydromet Project

The critical gap in data in the Nile Basin was recognized during the preparation of the first set of cooperative projects under NBI.

To address the data scarcity in the Nile Basin, NBI is establishing the first Regional HydroMet System for the Nile Basin and is also upgrading the national data management centers.

The Hydromets will support NBI Member States in understanding the biophysical phenomena, engage in informed water planning, conduct evidence-based decision making that will lead to improved cooperative water resources management and development.

The hydromet stations will also be installed in other Nile Equatorial Lakes countries namely Burundi, D.R Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda as well as in the eastern Nile Countries.

“The Nile Basin regional HydroMet system shall provide the data and information required to facilitate the implementation of various projects and programs and will significantly contribute to conflict prevention and regional integration,” said Eng. Dr. Isaac Alukwe, the NELSAP Regional Coordinator.