EDU-DELO

With a dense network of perennial rivers fed by abundant rainfall over much of the country and for most of the year, Cameroon has abundant surface water resources. However, a large proportion of the rural population is dependent on groundwater, and in many rural areas demand for surface water exceeds supply during the dry season. One of the many problems associated with water access and management is the lack of information about the underground environment and the extent of groundwater and aquifers. Geophysical tomography measurements carried out on the ground surface and drilling by the team of technicians from LABOGENIE and GEOBASE, have identified some aquifers. However, a certain amount of data has not yet been exploited due to a lack of tools.

This project aims to continue underground exploration to monitor the aquifers and has identified three main avenues to be explored: 1) a scientific component to improve the processing of available data in conjunction with AEP, and the new Saba (Sanaga Basin Aquifers) and Granite (Groundwater Targets) projects at the University of Yaoundé, in addition to selecting exploration sites with the possibility of deploying weather stations and soil moisture sensors on site to quantify the impact of climate change on groundwater; 2) a socioeconomic component to protect, exploit and sustainably manage this precious resource; and 3) an educational component (Edu-Delo). The aim of the Edu-Delo project is to create a “test site” observatory. We want to develop an educational project in hydrology, by creating a network of sensors connected to a database, from a few months to a few years, depending on the objectives. The use of three weather stations combined with groundwater pressure sensors could be the first step in creating a permanent hydrological network.

The station's network of sensors could estimate the amount of water that infiltrates during periods of rain and the evapotranspiration on that surface. Support for this equipment as a school project gives a strong partnership dimension to this hypothetical network and creates a synergy of interests. The project not only has a research dimension, but also an ambitious educational component based on teachers identified before the installation. Hydrology will be addressed in school through themes related to the management of primary resources.

Water management is, of course, the main focus of the project. Linked to specific meteorological events, but also to longer-term climatic trends, its study should allow more or less broad themes to emerge. The monitoring of groundwater through its return to the surface (of interest for the installation of Reefnet-type water level sensors in the absence of existing data) or its storage (by geophysical imaging) may be an ambitious first area of research currently funded in the region.

The database developed would be managed by local university staff. Following the example of EduMed-Obs at Geoazur, we will create an open “data center” and use existing tools to provide easy access to the data. The main mission of the project will be to increase the visibility and outreach of the research team's work in hydrogeological observation, and disseminate it to the public (science and citizens) and especially to schoolchildren (science and research).