The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD)
in collaboration with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) have
launched a smart phone application tagged “Wetin App” for flood forecast and
control, reports NaijaAgroNet.
The app, NaijaAgroNet gathered is available on Google App
Store, and would be focusing on forecasting flood reports especially along the
Niger and Benue rivers.
FMARD officials informed NaijaAgroNet that the application,
would assist Nigeria in management of flood and its associated exigencies.
Speaking at the launch in the Federal Capital Territory
(FCT) Abuja, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Dr.
Shehu Ahmed, represented by the Director of Agricultural Businesses, Processing
and Marketing, Alhaji Azeez M. Olumuyiwa said Nigeria sought the help of the IWMI
to develop the application following the devastating flood of 2012, which led
to huge destruction of farms, houses and human lives.
He also said the country had decided to turn that bitter
experience into a blessing by looking at the various ways farmers and government
could take advantage of technology.
In his remark, the Regional Director for Africa at the
International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Professor Timothy Olalekan
Williams, said the application was developed using data from the Nigerian
Hydrological Service Agency (NHSA), the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NMA)
and the satellite.
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