Namibia Uses IHP-supported G-WADI’s Precipitation Estimates in their Daily Flood Bulletin

All of Namibia’s perennial rivers are border rivers and have their origin outside of the country. In the northeast, the Kunene, Kavango and Kwando Rivers originate in Angola, and the Zambezi River in Zambia; while in the south, the Orange River originates in Lesotho. Water resources planning, and emergency preparedness for floods and droughts, requires information on upstream conditions of these rivers.

As one important tool in such information gathering, the Namibia Hydrological Services of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry uses precipitation estimates from the G-WADI PERSIANN-CCS GeoServer. The GeoServer is a tool that harnesses remotely sensed information to observe, monitor and analyze extreme weather events as they occur. At its heart is the PERSIANN-CCS algorithm, or Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks - Cloud Classification System. PERSIANN-CCS is a real-time, global (60°N to 60°S), high-resolution (~4km), satellite-based precipitation product produced by the University of California-Irvine’s Center for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing (CHRS; http://chrs.web.uci.edu/). The GeoServer utilizes the open-source MapServer software from the University of Minnesota to provide user-friendly, web-based mapping and visualization of satellite precipitation data.  It displays this information even in remote areas and over oceans where observations are limited.

In conjunction with limited stream gaging data, PERSIANN information assists the NHS to make more accurate judgments as to future water supply for multiple uses and provides early warning for floods and droughts in areas located in these and other national and transboundary river basins.

Flood bulletins and other disaster-related information are available from the Directorate, Disaster Risk Management (http://www.ddrm.gov.na/). Enquiries may also be made to Ms. Pauline Mufeti, Tel :( +264) 61 208 7191, email: mufetip@mawf.gov.na and hydrologynamibia@gmail.com.