DEVELOPMENT OF A GIS-BASED SUPPORT TOOL FOR INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT: A CASE STUDY OF THE RIVER AGNEBY BASIN, SOUTH OF CÔTE D’IVOIRE

Abstract

Climate change, rapid population growth, anthropogenic land use changes, can be classified among global phenomena that put enormous pressure on water resources. Côte d’Ivoire, like most West African countries, has adopted the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) framework in order to manage its water resources sustainably. This notwithstanding, water resource managers of Agneby River Basin do not have technical tools to enhance effective and sustainable management of water resources within the basin. To address this problem, we proposed to develop a GIS tool to support IWRM and decision making in the Agneby River Basin. This coastal basin, with a surface area 8525.84 km², is located in the southern part of Cote d’Ivoire. By utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a relevant tool for water resources management, we first set up a spatial database which is administered through PostgreSQL relational database management software. Subsequently, we added the PostGIS extension to PostgreSQL to enable the spatial dimension of the database. The objective of this database is to fill the data gaps in the catchment area. We then carried out thematic mapping of spatial entities covering relevant thematic areas (i.e., administrative, water, infrastructure, etc.) which are necessary for managing the water resources of the basin. In order to provide improved access of the information to relevant stakeholders, partners, and the community, we also developed a Web GIS platform that provides web-based maps and GIS functionality. It is anticipated that this will improve organisational productivity, communicate vital information and engage decision-makers. Although the current version of the Web GIS platform we developed is a prototype based on free and open-source tools and software, it can be further developed to achieve the long-term objective of being a water information system for the Agneby River Basin.