Ecuador
"... Increased capacity at Inamhi to provide hydroinformatics to stakeholders"
-Bolivar Erazo, Director Inamhi
Background Information
Azuay, Ecuador is a region known for its crucial water source, commonly known as Páramo, because of the Bolo-Palmar river and the mountainous terrain, which is both difficult to build on and transport water through. Along with this and issues regarding poverty, Azuay is subject to frequent droughts, making it very difficult to put proper water transportation systems in place. As a result, around 40 percent of the 882,000 people residing in Azuay have access to water regularly, meaning that the community is heavily involved in getting access to water resources. A project dealing with the irrigation system has become very prominent for the people and is being lead by the local government.
This local government used the historical streamflow data from the GEOGLOWS INAMHI portal. The historical data was used as input for HEC-RAS and to determine water surface elevations for the overpasses over the siphons. After the design was done for the pipeline were approved. the GAD Azuay involves the community in the construction which in majority are women. The water is collected in the highlands, and despite the water will be for vegetable and animals few communities use it for human consumption.
Given these circumstances, this project holds immense significance. This initiative not only addresses the needs of minority communities but also aims to empower women from rural communities by ensuring food security. By implementing this project, around 5000 people can benefit from the construction of an irrigation system, which will enhance their agricultural productivity and sustainability.
Using GEOGLOWS for providing lack of historical data
One of the main issues in developed countries is the insufficient budget to carry out their activities, making it very complicated to have access to the data needed. With GEOGLOWS ECMWF, countries in similar situations to Ecuador can have access to historical data, allowing them to understanding past river flooding patterns.
In Ecuador, not all rivers have observed data but events related to these rivers need to be solved. In this case, the river located on the coast of Ecuador was altered in its morphological form (Figure 1). As a result of this change, the nearby village was affected by floods. In order to answer the question of if this change in morphological caused the flooding, data was needed to model (Figure 2). Historical data was obtained using GEOGLOWS ECMWF was subsequently used to model using HEC-RAS 2D (Figure 3).
GEOGLOWS, a tool for decision makers
The forecasts and warnings generated by GEOGLOWS can help local authorities and communities prepare and take appropriate measures to mitigate the impacts of natural disasters.
In Imbabura, a province in the north of Ecuador, the impact of flooding and how the lack of data and flood forecasts have affected the population and crop production, especially for those living along the riverbanks. The local government has been working to address this issue by accessing hydrological applications on the INAMHI GEOGLOWS Tethys platform. These tools are being used to develop an Integral Risk Management Plan to mitigate the impact of flooding on the region, which will benefit the entire population of the province.
GEOGLOWS launch service Ecuador-INAMHI
As a result of this collaboration, a platform called INAMHI GEOGLOWS Tethys Portal was implemented and contains 12 apps. The use of the applications improves hydrometeorological services in Ecuador and as a national institution in Ecuador, INAMHI could provide access to resources for the development of their activities. Before implementing these tools, INAMHI lacked the necessary installed capacity and knowledge of the platform and WMO data-sharing standards. Nowadays, INAMHI is able to provide more accurate flood forecasting information on timing, magnitude, and impact, benefiting both technical and governmental users as well as the public.
The Executive Director, Bolívar Erazo participated in the nineteenth World Meteorological Congress in Geneva, in May 2023 organized by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). He presented the institutional achievements in hydrological forecasting tools of the INAMHI-GeoGlows platform.
Phenomenon El Niño
Phenomenon El Niño is a climate pattern that Ecuador is subject to because of their location that can cause an increase in rain which may lead to severe flooding, temperature changes, climate variation, landslides, and waves on the coasts. All of these components can effect the weather, wildfires, ecosystems, and economies of those that depend on the Pacific Ocean. These "episodes" typically occur every 2-7 years and last around 9-12 months, but are not on a regular schedule.
National Geographic, Hsieh Ming Hsiu
In the case of the Upano River, which influences a state road axis and contributed to the eruptive process of the Sangay volcano, it received the most attention and follow-up.
In efforts to improve the warning systems and protect the people effected by Phenomenon El Niño, the Hydroviewer Ecuador portal was created. This uses province, hydrographic demarcation, hydrographic station and river name to monitor changes throughout the day and highlights precipitation events. This information is made available to the government authorities for review and possible alerts.
MORE INFORMATION
GEO Highlights on Ecaudor: http://tinyurl.com/4s98e6y5
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