Monitoring Ephemeral Water Bodies in Ferlo, Senegal

The Monitoring Ephemeral Water Bodies in Ferlo, Senegal Service is a web-based platform for assessing water availability in all known ponds, thus facilitating water management in arid areas such as the Ferlo Region of Senegal. The platform, known as WENDOU (Water ENvironment Dashboard for Observation in support of Users in Ferlo, Senegal), uses Earth observation data from Landsat 7 and 8 and Sentinel 2 to identify water availability. This information will help decision makers to monitor water bodies to support better use of natural resources.

Rationale

Temporary surface water bodies are a vital resource in the landscape of the Ferlo region. Their use, for a good part of the year, constitutes an essential source of livelihood for the pastoral populations of Senegal. In recent years, in the context of climate variability, these water sources have become a cause for concern due to variations in the duration of flooding, the degradation of the surrounding soil, and water pollution. Many of the water bodies pastoralists once relied upon are no longer filled when they arrive at them. Partners in the region will use the information in this service to help guide pastoralists to water bodies that have water and forage that will help sustain the herd livelihoods.