Space-Enabled Modeling of the Niger River to Enhance RegionalWater Resources Management

The Niger River and floodplain landscape is experiencing a constant change as a result of natural and human processes thereby contributing to the yearly occurrence of flooding. The increasing flood frequency and intensity causes loss of life, destruction of assets and disrupts the livelihood of a large proportion of the population. Due to the current data challenges and lack of hydrological information we are developing a 2-D flood inundation model showing the spatially distributed dynamics of water surface elevation and future flood extent of Niger river and its surroundings. We considered the following parameters such as floodplain topography, river channel widths, banks heights, model parameters, and hydrology information to develop our final output which is an interactive web visualization map showing the inundated extent. Our developed 2D flood prediction model can be extended to other parts of the Niger River Basin which will contribute to a positive regional economic and environmental impact. It will also help the relevant ministries, emergency institutions, local partners and national government of Niger to build safe and resilient communities through effective risk communication and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 and 13.