17/04/2026
What if some of the most valuable water data didn’t come from conventional sources, but from communities themselves? 💧
This is exactly what the project is exploring.
⚡Led by IWMI, in partnership with Imperial College London and funded by Schmidt Sciences, the project explores how local knowledge and other non-conventional data sources can strengthen hydrological modelling and global water reanalysis.
From 25–27 March 2026, Mabel Kumah, Water Data Analytics Researcher at IWMI conducted a field visit across selected districts along the White Volta Basin in Upper East Region of Ghana, engaging with citizen science activities led by the White Volta Basin Secretariat (WVBS) of the Water Resources Commission (WRC) and partners.
The field visit showed:
📊 Community-led monitoring is working. Citizen scientists are consistently tracking rainfall and groundwater, building a reliable, locally driven data system critical for water-dependent livelihoods.
At the same time, several challenges emerged:
⚠️Limited spatial and temporal coverage
⚠️Manual data transfer causing delays, higher costs, and errors.
These findings are helping to shape the next phase of the work. Priority actions include:
💥Expanding monitoring to other communities to improve spatial coverage
💥Including reservoirs and rivers for more comprehensive data collection
💥Prioritizing key wells, reservoirs, and rivers, while exploring digital tools for real-time data sharing
💥Deepening community engagement, especially among youth
Key takeaway: Locally driven data systems work—but need the right support to scale and deliver lasting impact. 🌟
