Hydrometric data has been collected by different organisations and through different initiatives at different times. Rainfall and other meteorological data has been the responsiblity of the Sierra Leone Meteorological Department, and rainfall records exist back to at least 1921. River flow data has been collected through the United Nations Development Programme and the World Health Organisation Onchocerciasis Control Project working with the Government of Sierra Leone. Most data collection ceased during the war and has only recommenced since about 2010. There has never been any systematic groundwater monitoring in Sierra Leone.

In 2012 the Sierra Leone Water Security Project commenced, with support from the UK government Department for International Development and consultants Adam Smith International. The project was implemented by the Ministry of Water Resources and the Bumbuna Watershed Management Authority. This project initiated groundwater level data collection, community level rainfall monitoring and a limited amount of spring and stream flow gaging. The project also worked closely with organisations including commercial entities, NGOs and District Councils. The geographic focus of the project was the Rokel-Seli river basin.

Metadata can be found in the three files Monitoring Site Register (which holds a brief summary of each monitoring site’s location and ownership); Project Site Details (which holds detailed information on each of the monitoring sites established by the Water Security Project); and Shared Site Details (which holds detailed information on sites managed by organisations which have shared their data with the Water Security Project).

We hope that by sharing data in this way others will be encouraged to contact us with a view to uploading their data onto this website. In this way, greater knowledge of Sierra Leone’s water resources will lead to improved management and enhanced water security.