iMoMo: Water Diplomacy and Governance in Key Transboundary Hot Spots, Low Cost High-Tech Solutions for Better Water Resources Management

Worldwide efforts to increase water efficiencies are often hampered by inadequate availability of sufficient quality data and proper tools that monitor, model and inform and manage water supplies in tactical and strategic terms. Rapid advancements in sensor and communication technology, crowd-sourcing approaches and systems’ interoperability by hard- and software integration have the potential to help improving the effectiveness and sustainability of water resources use with reinforced stakeholder involvement. A pre-feasibility study was carried out from November 2011 to February 2012 to assess the potential of a novel technology – the Innovative Monitoring and Management of Water Resources (IMoMo) system – developed by a partnership of Swiss universities and private sector, a low-cost technology- and people-based approach for better water resources management.

Sustainable, decentralised, low-cost and people-based data systems are used in various countries and basins and promoted globally, improving water resources management.

• Current and future users of water resources information: water user associations, water management agencies, local and international NGOs, private sector, etc.
• Global IWRM institutions such as GWP, WB and IUCN
• Global ICT operators.

An innovative concept of data management has been developed and has gained acceptance for its implementation by the main stakeholders at local and national levels. At global level, IWRM institutions and global ICT operators have demonstrated interest for the approach.

Expected results:  

• At global level, the concept has been presented and discussed in at least three high-level international IWRM events;
• At local and national levels in Tanzania: (1) Technical: crowd-sourced GSM-based data collection and supporting decision-support systems tested and operational; (2) Social/cultural: users’ needs and needed incentives to provide data (both short and long term) are well understood and included in the overall design; (3) Financial: business plan for phase 2 prepared and financial sustainability potential demonstrated; (4) Institutional: project is anchored in a national agency (likely PBWB under the Ministry of Water Resources); partnerships are established with Government, donors agencies and private sector to integrate IMoMo in national water resources program; (5) Organisational: logical framework updated integrating outcomes of the development phase, establishing indicators for the implementation phase; detailed project implementation proposal prepared for discussion at the stakeholder workshop concluding the development phase.
• At local and national levels in Central Asia: (1) approach discussed at the Regional Data Management Workshop, and (2) initial assessment of the feasibility to apply IMoMo approach in the larger SDC-supported pilot project areas in Kyrgyz part of the Ferghana Valley.
  

Results from previous phases:  

Drawing upon the results of the pre-feasibility study completed at the end of February 2012.

Hydrosolutions GmbH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology spinoff), Zürich University of the Arts (ZHDK), IUCN Tanzania (International Union for Conservation of Nature), Pangani Basin Water Board (PBWB), State of Tanzania

Several private sector, NGO and international agencies were contacted during the pre-feasibility study. Partnerships will be developed during the project.

Phase 1 01.10.2011 - 31.01.2014   (Completed)