Like other African countries, Niger is exposed to floods and other natural hazards. In the fall of the year 2020, the Niger river triggered some of the worst floods in many decades affecting Niamey, other cities, and rural communities located on the shores of the river.
On 11 and 12 August 2021, UN-SPIDER and the National Directorate of Civil Protection of Niger (DNPC) carried out a virtual training course on the use of UN-SPIDER´s Recommended Practice for Rapid Flood Mapping. The virtual training course, carried out at the request of the DNPC, targeted nearly 45 staff of the Directorate, institutional liaisons of the Operational Centre for Crisis Monitoring and Management (COVACC), and participants from the Civil Protection Academy.
The training course focused on the use of the Recommended Practice developed by UN-SPIDER to map the potential extent of floods using Google Earth Engine and Sentinel-1 radar imagery. The course benefitted from the participation and support of staff of UN agencies based in Niger. In the coming months, UN-SPIDER will coordinate additional activities with the DNPC and the Office of the Resident Coordination of the United Nations in Niger to strengthen the capacity of DNPC and COVACC to confront the challenges posed by floods and other hazards.
