River prediction app supports farmers in Nigeria

International Water Management Institute creates app to warn Nigerian farmers when there is a risk of flooding.

Increasingly, apps are used to help tackle environmental issues. Here at Springwise we have seen technology used to crowdsource a map of unsafe drinking water, a water saving app which helps Spanish farmers calculate the best time to water their strawberries and an open source app that connects traditional South African fishers to markets. Now, a collaboration between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the International Water Management Institute is helping to warn Nigerian farmers about the risk of flooding.

The IWMI WetIn free mobile app monitors rivers and streams in the Niger-Benue river systems. The service was developed using data from the Nigerian Hydrological Service Agency, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency and satellite information. It provides users with five-day river height forecasts, a graphical view of river water levels and projects the impact of climate change on water levels. It also allows farmers free access to publications on water management issues. Speaking at the launch event in Abuja, Dr. Shehu Ahmed (the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture), said Nigeria sought the help of the international agency to develop the app following the devastating flood of 2012 which led to huge loss of life and the large-scale destruction of farms and houses.

The app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store or the IWMI website. How else can the power of data driven apps be harnessed to solve environmental issues?