Rwanda is among the Central African countries that are set to implement funded projects aimed to generate 'flash flood early warning and alerts'.
Experts from 11 countries in the Central African region convened in Kigali, on June 18, to identify projects, revise and adopt the implementation plan for Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) and Flash Flood Guidance System (FFGS)--initiatives to improve severe weather flood forecasting and early warning services.
The Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) initiative is a financial mechanism that funds projects in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to establish risk-informed early warning services.
The initiative which has mobilised over $100 million in funding is implemented by the World Bank (WB), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).
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The Flash Flood Guidance System (FFGS) was designed and developed for interactive use by meteorological and hydrological forecasters throughout the world.
FFGS is necessary to provide operational forecasters and disaster management agencies with real-time informational guidance products pertaining to the threat of small-scale flash flooding using remote-sensed precipitation (that is, radar and satellite-based rainfall estimates) and hydrological models.
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The countries also mapped needs and opportunities to improve the early warning services.
"We are preparing projects and need funding to strengthen early warning systems to minimise the impact of floods. The projects are designed based on each country's needs and common issues they are facing. This will help to adapt to climate change effects," said Meteo Rwanda's Director-General, Aimable Gahigi.
Rwanda needs to improve its early warning system as it is also prone to floods. On May 2-3, 2023, heavy rainfall triggered floods and landslides, causing extensive damage and loss of life in various parts of the Western, Northern, and Southern provinces. Over 130 lives were tragically lost, leaving more than 20,000 people homeless, while infrastructure and crops suffered severe destruction.
The government embarked on seeking Rwf518.58 billion (approximately US$415 million) to facilitate the recovery from the extensive physical and economic losses inflicted by recent floods and landslides, as per the comprehensive landslides and floods damage assessment conducted by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.
According to Gahigi, besides the production of an early warning system, there is also a need for investment in enhancing access to early warning.
"We need modern equipment to produce early warning information and innovation in spreading it," he said.
Rwanda has also joined 10 regional countries to establish flood monitoring stations on rivers and lakes in the Nile River basin.
The aim is to ensure early warning, build flood-resilient infrastructure, and plan efficient use of shared water resources in the Nile River Basin.
UN Secretary General's Early Warnings for All
The World Meteorological Organization initiative for the Central African region follows the UN Secretary General's Early Warnings for All initiative to ensure every country has an early warning system by 2027.
In 2022, UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, unveiled a $3.1 billion plan to ensure everyone on the planet is protected by early warning systems within five years.
Countries with limited early warning coverage have disaster mortality eight times higher than countries with high coverage.
Ernest Afiesimama, Regional Programme Manager in the World Meteorological Organization Regional Office for Africa, reiterated that the continent is currently facing serious climate challenges with increased frequency at an intensity of extreme events.
"We do see flooding, droughts, and severe storms over the continent resulting in impacts like devastation of environment, livelihood and also, we lose lives. This is a very big challenge and the United Nations Secretary-General intends to introduce the early warning for all for early action so that people will be ready to evacuate environments that are vulnerable and reduce the impacts," he said.
He noted that there is a need for early warning for the remaining 60 per cent of Africa that is not covered by this.
"We have to enable people to have early warning in terms of co-production products and services, that need to be sent to the vulnerable community to avert impacts over the continent," he added.
Georges Gulemvuga, Director of Water Resources at Commission Internationale du Bassin Congo-Oubangui-Sangha (CICOS) which was set up in 2000 as a specialised agency of the Economic Community of Central African States, said that floods are affecting the socio-economic life of people in the Congo Basin and that there is need for joint efforts to enhance early warning systems.
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Today, the Congo Basin provides food, medicine, water, materials, and shelter for over 75 million people in six countries--Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon.
Congo Basin, basin of the Congo River, lying astride the Equator in west-central Africa is the world's second-largest river basin.
"Floods caused by Congo River continue and, therefore, countries in the basin need to benefit from the regional project," he said.
In 2024, the Congo River rose just shy of 6.26 metres; in January, the government declared a hydrological and ecological catastrophe after the Congo River overflowed, flooding the capital, Kinshasa.
Flash floods are among the world's deadliest natural disasters with more than 5,000 lives lost annually.
Their social, economic, and environmental impacts are significant.
Accounting for approximately 85 per cent of flooding cases, flash floods also have the highest mortality rate among different classes of flooding, including riverine and coastal.
