SI-SENSOR² (Supporting Early-warning systems and Nature-based Solutions using Opportunistic Rainfall monitoring in Rwanda)

RW2024TEA563A103 01/09/2024 - 31/08/2029 Flash floods and landslides are rainfall-induced geohazards that frequently co-occur and interact, resulting in significant impacts. In May 2023 alone, these events claimed 131 lives and caused €400 million of economic losses in Rwanda. The lack of accurate rainfall data prevents the issuance of timely warnings and hinders the mitigation of the increasingly frequent disasters linked to these hazards. SENSOR² will establish a multi-stakeholder, multi-institutional partnership to introduce an innovative, cost-effective system for monitoring rainfall using mobile phone network antennas. SENSOR² will train three Rwandan PhD researchers to utilise these unprecedented countrywide rainfall data to enhance early warning systems and support research on nature-based prevention strategies in Musanze, a rapidly growing city. SENSOR² will bring together academia, government bodies and the private sector to design targeted solutions towards the most vulnerable communities in rural and urban Rwanda.