In the context of the MEKROU project, the E- Water software was developed to assess the WEFE NEXUS with the objective of providing optimal management solutions and scenarios at river basin level for local and national managers. The Mekrou is a transboundary river basin shared by Benin, Burkina and Niger. The Mekrou is a tributary of the Niger River.
E- Water is open-source software conceived to allow policy-decision makers to manage and analyse WEFE NEXUS data and scenarios at river basin and/or regional level. The E-Water consists of a huge amount and distinct nature of datasets (agriculture, hydrology, precipitation, temperature, land-use-cover, socio-economic, …) required in the context of Nexus approach, the tool integrates the different models and data to identify policy-relevant solutions, quantify the trade-offs between alternative strategies in different scenarios, flexibly explore alternative definitions of robustness, and identify key system factors to be monitored as triggers for future actions or additional planning. The E-Water output visualization toolkit allows decision makers to easily share and visualize their datasets, with the option for analysts to extend and export the analysis with customized scripts in the R programming language.
More specifically, E- Water integrates several modeling tools (SWAT, EPIC, L-Moments, Optimization routines, etc.) in order to cope with heterogeneity of data, analysis and issues required by Nexus approach such as: the management of pressures on resources (water, forests, etc.) for multiple purposes (food self sufficiency, crop production, livestock breeding, fuelwood for cooking, etc.) in a context of climate change and variability, ii) the preservation of ecosystems in the W Park and, the associated benefits (pool of resources and tourism), iii) the management/mitigation of floods and droughts.
e-Water software is open source and installation available HERE. La documentation en francais ICI.