Hermana: decision support in Colombia

Introduction

HERMANA brings together current information on water demand, water availability, drought, floods and water quality in a single online platform. In this way, the water manager CVC can act faster, substantiate decisions better and distribute water more sustainably and fairly.

  • Duration: 2017–present
  • Client: Corporación Autónoma Regional del Valle del Cauca (CVC)
  • Partners: Deltares, FutureWater, Awaio
  • Keywords: integrated water management, decision support, water availability, water demand, drought, floods, groundwater, surface water, water quality, early warning, satellite data, dashboards, stakeholder communication and international cooperation
  • Models & Tools: Water Control Room, Delft-FEWS Colombia, InfoSequía, GeoCVC, FEWS-IDEAM, CHIRPS, NOAA’s Global Forecast System, satellite information

Background

Increasing pressure

In the Colombian Cauca Valley, agriculture, drinking water supply, nature and the economy are heavily dependent on sufficient clean water. Intensive agriculture, population growth, irregular rainy seasons, drought and pollution are putting ever greater pressure on groundwater and surface water. The regional water and environmental authority CVC has a great deal of valuable measurements, models and knowledge. However, this information was spread across databases, stand-alone computers, technical systems and static reports. As a result, it took a lot of time to understand the current situation, recognise risks and properly substantiate and explain decisions on, for example, water allocation, permits, reservoir management and warnings. The need was therefore not for even more data, but for a single integrated solution that brings together available information and translates it into concrete decisions and an actionable perspective.

Method

Designing together

We did not start with the technology, but with CVC’s day-to-day practice. Together with local water professionals and stakeholders, we mapped out which decisions they make, which steps are involved and what information is needed at what moment. Based on these concrete decision cases, we jointly designed the dashboards, warnings and automated reports.

We then linked local measurements, institutional databases, satellite information, weather forecasts and hydrological models together. Delft-FEWS Colombia makes weather and water information, models and forecasts from CVC and IDEAM available. InfoSequía provides area-wide drought indicators based on satellite data. HydroLogic’s Water Control Room combines this information with local knowledge and data from CVC and translates it into clear dashboards, maps, graphs, warnings and reports.

The result was not an imported standard system, but a solution developed together with CVC that fits local information needs, work processes and culture. Knowledge from Colombian and Dutch governments, knowledge institutions and companies was connected into a single working information chain.

More about our method

The result

Faster and more transparent decision-making

HERMANA gives CVC a single, current and coherent picture of the present and expected state of the water system. The platform supports operational, tactical and strategic decisions on, among other things, the water supply of Cali, drought, flood risks, water quality, groundwater and the use of reservoirs.

Users can recognise developments faster, compare values with warning or statutory limit values and inform relevant parties in good time. Dashboards and reports are available online and can be used and shared without specialist programming knowledge. As a result, CVC can not only make decisions faster, but also explain and reproduce them better towards water users, administrators and other stakeholders.

What did the project deliver?

  • A single integrated online platform for daily, tactical and strategic water management
  • Access to information from, among others, more than 250 hydrometeorological monitoring stations and more than 2,500 groundwater monitoring points
  • Current dashboards for water availability, drought, floods and water quality
  • Automated forecasts, warnings and reports for various users and stakeholders
  • A locally embedded solution that is used and managed by CVC
  • Faster warning and decision-making during high water in the Cauca in December 2020
  • A scalable approach that can also be applied in other Colombian river basins
  • Continuous availability, maintenance, data processing and technical support
“HERMANA is important and unique because it brings together information for better decision-making.”
Leanne Reichard | project lead
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