A watershed is a geographical zone where all water flows towards a common outlet, like a river, lake or ocean. “Watersheds are essential for managing water resources, understanding hydrology and assessing environmental impacts,” Dr. Ousmane Seidou says.
Originally from the Nigerien city of Niamey on the Niger River, West Africa’s main river, Dr. Seidou is passionate about the sustainable management of water resources. Currently, he is a professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Ottawa and the Director of the Hydraulic Laboratory. His research focuses on better understanding the complex relationships between climate, water, ecosystems, human interventions, infrastructure, economic productivity and natural hazards at the watershed scale. By studying these interconnected relationships, Dr. Seidou has been able to identify current and future climate-related risks in watersheds worldwide, informing government policies and strategies.
He has spent the last 10 years collaborating with various partners, including governments, industry and NGOs, to conduct research aimed at helping Global South countries prepare for the changing dynamics of floods and droughts caused by climate change. “The toll (of climate change) on the population and already weak economies is extreme,” Dr. Seidou states. His research contributes to the theoretical development and practical implementation of holistic water management approaches, such as Integrated Water Resources Management and the Food-Energy-Environment-Water nexus.
His research is demand-driven and often aims to solve immediate operational issues, such as the lack of actionable climate information in Indigenous communities in Canada, drought threatening food production in Mali or dikes being overtopped in Niger. To address these issues, he has developed analytical tools, such as Decision Support Systems (DSSs) and Flood Early Warning Systems (FEWs) in multiple watersheds around the world, with a focus on the Global South. These systems provide valuable knowledge to decision makers so they can implement effective water management strategies.
One of Dr. Seidou’s most notable contributions has been his operational FEWs, which helped reduce the impact of the destructive flood that occurred in Niamey in September 2020. “There is a significant global demand for DSSs and FEWs, particularly in the Global South. Identifying optimal watershed interventions and anticipating disasters can save lives, prevent substantial economic losses and open up opportunities in rapidly expanding markets,” Dr. Seidou says.
Simpler yet cost-effective warning systems
FEWs play a key role in implementing the United Nations’ priorities for disaster risk reduction. When developing the first early warning system for the city of Niamey in 2014, Dr. Seidou based his methodology on the use of four automatic limnimeters and International Research Institute for Climate and Society satellite-estimated precipitation. He then built a Soil and Water Assessment Tool model of the sub-basin between the small town of Kandadji (Niger) and Niamey. The system was operational for several months, but after encountering difficulties due to remote configuration and local Internet and power issues, Dr. Seidou designed a new generation of FEWs with improved system features in 2018. The server is now hosted on a cloud computing platform to bypass technical obstacles and generate lower costs. Historical precipitation was downloaded from a regulatory agency, while five-day hourly precipitation forecasts were obtained from a private supplier. These FEWs not only provide crucial knowledge to local communities to reduce climate-related risks but are also cost-effective.
Vision for the future
“My future objective is to develop two online platforms adapted to underdeveloped countries, one for flood early warning and the other for watershed planning. These platforms will support river basin organizations, like those in the Niger and Congo basins, to improve livelihoods through policy development and investment. The platforms will be designed to be flexible and easily adaptable to other basins and will serve as test beds for new research algorithms and concepts, as well as tools for teaching and capacity building,” Dr. Seidou notes.
Dr. Seidou’s research team was selected to support the Niger Basin Authority (NBA), a West African intergovernmental organization aimed at fostering cooperation in the management and development of the Niger River Basin’s resources. The team will lead the evaluation of the NBA’s operational plan (OP) 2016–2024 and the development of the next OP 2025–2033 to sustainably manage water resources and foster socio-economic development. “We look forward to successful outcomes that will benefit not only the basin of the Niger, but other watersheds around the world as well,” Dr. Seidou explains.