Water security lies at the heart of sustainable development. The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Global Development Assistance (GDA) programme is working to ensure that Earth Observation (EO) data becomes a practical tool for those making decisions about how water is managed, shared, and protected.
Through the GDA Water Resources activity, ESA collaborates with the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, IFAD and other international financial institutions (IFIs) to integrate satellite-based information into programmes on groundwater, surface water, and flood and drought management.
These collaborations demonstrate how EO can directly support investment planning and policy implementation:
Groundwater monitoring: EO data helps identify recharge zones, detect over-extraction, and track long-term changes in water tables, essential insights for sustainable groundwater management.
Lake Victoria water quality: Near real-time monitoring of algal blooms and pollution hotspots supports authorities and IFI-funded programmes working to protect ecosystems and public health.
Flood and drought resilience in Balochistan: EO-based assessments of sediment transport, flood exposure, and drought impacts help inform infrastructure investments and agricultural planning.
Beyond individual cases, the GDA Water Resources activity promotes the systematic uptake of EO in water-related development operations. By providing tailored, co-designed services, it helps bridge the gap between space data and on-the-ground decision-making.
