Real Time Urban Flood Risk Management and Decision Support Tool for Bamako Greater Area

Project Summary:

The project aimed to reduce flood risk in Mali’s urban areas, particularly Bamako. Urban flood risk is increasing in African cities, in relation with weaknesses in urban and land use planning, uncontrolled occupation of flood-prone lowlands, riverbeds, and floodplains. Flood risk in Bamako, Mali, is an archetypal example of the increasing vulnerability of African cities to increasing flooding risks. Funding for this green growth implementation program will be used to create real-time, high-resolution rain maps based on cellular network signal attenuation. Such data can be used to model rainfall runoff and flood risk. Eventually, authorities will be able to issue response plans with more lead-time and shift habitation patterns away from flood-prone areas.

List of Activities:

• Provision of Real Time High Resolution Rain Maps based on the Cellular Network Signal Attenuation
• Use of Rainfall Information in ATHYS Open Source Flood Modelling Platform
• Real Time Integration of the Flood Risk Information into a GIS-based Decision Support Tool
• Training, Capacity Building and Awareness Development

Outcomes:

Output 1:

• Development and test of real time high resolution rain maps based on the cellular network signal attenuation
• Real time information available through web server

Output 2:

• Model adaptation to targeted cities
• Pilot working in real time operation

Output 3:

• Development and test of real time integration of the flood risk information into a GIS-based decision support tool

Output 4:

• Student trainings and teaching modules
• Workshop

Outcomes:

The expected outcome is to demonstrate the feasibility of the operational use of a highly innovative and cost effective technique to monitor rainfall and improve urban flooding risk assessment and flood forecasting to inform sustainable and resilient urban planning. This technology can be later applied in a large number of countries where WB is supporting hydrometeorological modernization, urban development and/or disaster risk management initiatives.

Collaboration with K-Partners and Others:

• WBG internal partners:
  The World Bank Group: JB. Migraine, Disaster Risk Management Specialist, GSURR, TTL of Sahel Drought Response TA (P144657); M. Suwa, Disaster Risk Management Specialist in GFDRR; V. Tsirkunov, Senior Environmental Engineer, Lead of the WB/GFDRR Hydromet Program, TTL of Strengthening Weather, Climate Systems TA (P125670); I. Maman-Sani, Senior Environmental Specialist, TTL of the Mainstreaming Disaster Reduction in Mali project (P124481) and Natural Resources Management in a Changing Climate in Mali (P129516); Z. Coulibaly, Senior Infrastructure Specialist, TTL of the Mali Urban Local Government Support Project (P116602); S. Pieyns, Hydrologist, Consultant for the Sahel Disaster Resilience project (P148659)
• K-Partners: Kyungpook National University, Daegu, South Korea: Gyuwon Lee, Department of Astronomy and Atmospheric Sciences, expert in quality control of rainfall estimates in Sahel (to provide independent feedback on comparing in situ, radar, satellite with rain cell estimates)
• Other external partners: University of Ouagadougou: F.  Zougmore, Coordinator of the Raincell African partnership; University of Bamako: Mamy Soumaré, researcher, Rural Economy Institute (IER)
• Orange-Mali: Provision of raw data on micro-wave links (transmitted/received signal) and participation in future public-private partnership agreements; Mali-Météo: KM. Diarra, Director-General of Mali-Météo Agency; DNH : Yaya Boubacar, Directeur-Général Adjoint de l’Hydraullique ; DGPC : Colonel Major Koman Keita, Directeur-Général de la Protection Civile ; INSS/CNRST Burkina Faso: Aude Niekiema, Geographer- Geospatial Applications Specialist; IRD – France