Day and night watches by local communities along Sebeya River, combined with real-time information sharing through WhatsApp groups, are among the new measures being used by residents of Rubavu District to prevent disasters.
Equipped with a Flood Early Warning System (FEWS), residents are actively bolstering their disaster preparedness and prevention efforts.
The initiative is part of a broader government effort to build an integrated early warning system—a network of data collection tools, technical infrastructure, and communication processes designed to detect hazards and issue timely alerts.
Agronomist Jean Claude Kavamahanga is one of hundreds of residents in Nyundo Sector of Rubavu District who closely monitor Sebeya River during heavy rains.
"We have WhatsApp groups at the village, cell, sector, and district levels where we share real-time information if the river begins to flood,” Kavamahanga said. "We monitor it day and night to ensure we can warn people early so they have time to act.”
The initiative aims to give vulnerable communities vital time to evacuate before hazards trigger extensive infrastructure damage, displacement, or severe environmental destruction. This push follows the devastating 2023 floods and landslides that claimed 136 lives and caused widespread destruction in northwestern Rwanda.
Rubavu District Mayor Prosper Mulindwa highlighted that local communities, comprising youth volunteers, have undergone disaster preparedness training linked to the new warning system.
"We have trained response teams stationed along Sebeya River who are equipped to alert residents immediately in the event of heavy or unexpected rainfall," Mulindwa said.
Advanced radar sensors
In Rubavu—a volcanic zone highly prone to flooding—advanced monitoring infrastructure has also been deployed along the River. New sensors have been installed to monitor and forecast water levels in real-time, aiming to protect communities from flash floods.
Sebeya River spans parts of Nyabihu, Rubavu, Rutsiro, and Ngororero districts, and has historically posed a severe hazard to local residents for decades.
ALSO READ: Rubavu draws Rwf63bn plan to prevent flash floods
According to the Rwanda Water Resources Board (RWB), which is mandated to install sensors and regulate river systems, advanced radar sensors (RQ30-ADMS or Autonomous Discharge Measurement Systems) have replaced older models that had monitored the river since the catastrophic 2023 floods.
"There has been an intensive effort to upgrade the early warning network using robust RQ30 radar sensors," explained Jackline Uwimbabazi, a hydro-database specialist at RWB.
The water board spearheaded the installation, configuration, and calibration of these sensors across the volcanic region as part of the Volcanoes Community Resilience Project (VCRP), prioritizing the development of a Flood Early Warning System to minimize disaster risks.
"These sensors are strategically placed in high-risk areas to collect and transmit real-time hydrological data—including water levels and discharge rates—supporting accurate flood forecasting and enabling rapid emergency responses," Uwimbabazi added.
RWB reports that three stations have already been established along the Nyundo-Sebeya and Karambo rivers in Rubavu, as well as the Muhabura-Mbandama gully in Burera district.
Pre-emptive warnings
Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Albert Murasira, the Minister in Charge of Emergency Management, said that national implementation of the early warning system has reached 60 percent following the mapping of disaster hotspots and enhanced inter-agency coordination to respond to climate shocks.
"We pool all the data together and analyze it if, for instance, strong winds are predicted in highly vulnerable areas," Murasira told The New Times, addingthat emergency alerts are dispatched directly via SMS to populations at risk.
The minister noted that while telecom companies previously charged the government heavily for mass text messaging—sometimes sending up to one million alerts per incident—current regulatory frameworks have resolved the issue.
"We used to pay a lot of money to these companies to reach people in specific locations," Murasira said. "Now, supported by a toll-free call line and high mobile phone penetration, telecom operators no longer charge during disasters."
ALSO READ: Over 3,500 disaster-affected families get new homes
He emphasized that the early warning system is fully operational, capable of issuing pre-emptive warnings before disasters strike.
"When we detect that river flows have increased or are on the verge of flooding, we send an alert message to residents in that area to vacate," he noted.
"It is a vital measure to protect lives, and we are making strong, well-organized progress."