UE/R: SOCO PROJECT FACILITATORS URGED TO WORK HARD FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE PROJECT – DCE NABDAM
By – Prosper Adaakai
When floodwaters rise, every second can mean the difference between rescue and tragedy
For a team of young women engineers from the Bolgatanga Technical University (BTU), that reality inspired an innovation designed to help emergency responders locate and rescue people trapped by floods
The students have emerged winners of the Women in Engineering (WINE) 2026 competition, organised under the Ghana Institution of Engineering, beating teams from about 19 universities across the country
Their winning project is a Smart Emergency Communication and Flood Monitoring System designed to detect dangerous rising water levels and automatically alert emergency responders
A lecturer at BTU’s Electrical and Electronics Department, Aurelia Ayamdo, who coordinated the university’s team, says the project was developed in response to the growing threat of flooding
«“Our team came out with a solution which is a smart emergency communication with a flood monitoring system. This device helps save the lives of people who are trapped during flooding.”»
The system is designed with sensors capable of detecting when floodwaters reach a dangerous level
Once the threshold is reached, the system can trigger an alert and transmit information to relevant emergency agencies, including the Ghana National Fire Service
Importantly, the system incorporates GPS technology, allowing responders to identify the location of people in distress
The Dean of Electrical Engineering at BTU Eng C.S George Alexander Dordah explains that the technology is intended to provide an early warning and rescue mechanism without depending entirely on human intervention
«“Once it senses the flood, it goes ahead to send signals and indicate where you can actually locate whoever is in the problem.”»
The system also provides for a manual emergency button that people inside a building can activate when they realise they are in danger
But the flood sensor itself does not necessarily require someone to trigger it
Instead, it is calibrated to detect the height of rising water and determine when the situation has become potentially dangerous
The Dean says the technology could have particular relevance in northern Ghana, where flooding can follow the release of water from upstream dams
«“Starting from where we are, the North, the Upper East, the moment the Bagre Dam is opened, we realise that a lot of the places we have within our area get flooded.”»
He believes the innovation could also contribute to reducing flood-related deaths elsewhere in the country, following recent incidents in which people have been trapped or killed by floodwaters
But for the innovation to move beyond a competition project and become a practical emergency-response tool, the university says partnerships and investment will be crucial
BTU is therefore seeking collaboration with relevant ministries, metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies, the National Disaster Management Organisation, the Ghana National Fire Service and other emergency-response institutions to test and scale up the technology
The lecturer, Aurelia Ayamdo, is also calling on university management and other stakeholders to invest more in women pursuing engineering
She says the victory demonstrates that female students possess the talent and creativity needed to develop solutions to Ghana’s problems
«“Engineering is not just for men. Ladies should participate in these programmes so that with one accord we’re able to help bring innovations to better Ghana.”»
The team’s victory, she adds, was the result of sustained practice, teamwork, confidence and determination
For the students, however, the project may be only the beginning
The university says discussions have already started with potential stakeholders following the competition, with the goal of moving the innovation from a prototype into a system capable of serving flood-prone communities
The Student Representative Council of BTU Atonga Nsoyine has also commended the team, describing the achievement as a reflection of the hard work, discipline and determination of the university’s students
The SRC President says the council will continue supporting initiatives that empower students, particularly women in engineering
Beyond the trophy, the BTU victory raises a bigger question: Can Ghana turn innovations emerging from its universities into practical solutions for some of the country’s most persistent problems?
For the young women behind the flood-monitoring system, the answer lies in moving their invention from the laboratory and competition stage into communities where rising waters can threaten lives
And if successfully scaled, a device born from a university engineering competition could become another tool in Ghana’s fight against the deadly consequences of flooding
Source – gbcuraonline.com
