Le projet Volta-HYCOS: un observatoire hydrologique sur le bassin de la Volta

摘要

The Volta-HYCOS Project (Volta HYdrological Cycle Observing System) started in 2006, with the aim of reinforcing the hydrometric network in the Volta basin and establishing a Hydrological Information System (HIS) on the water resources of the basin, accessible via the internet. In effect, Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) within this transboundary basin and the equitable sharing of the benefits from water resources of the basin among the different countries which share the basin (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’lvoire, Ghana, Mali and Togo) require reliable data on the available water resources, which should be updated regularly. The poor state of the hydrometric network in the Volta basin countries since the 1980s no longer permits this need. Initially executed by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), and recently transferred to the Volta Basin Authority, the Volta-HYCOS Project is a component of the WMO WHYCOS Programme (World Hydrological Cycle Observing System). This paper presents the hydrometric network, which was established in the framework of the project, as well as the Hydrological Information System which was developed.