Kinshasa, June 24th, 2026 (CPA).- The deployment of a batch of state-of-the-art hydrometric equipment and used-oil recovery tanks for the benefit of six member States was launched Wednesday by a regional organization during a ceremony in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, with a view to modernizing water monitoring and combating river pollution.
“The overall objective of this activity is, on the one hand, the official handover of the equipment and the common regulations on waste management and water monitoring to the authorities of the six member States of CICOS and, on the other hand, the deployment and installation of hydrometric equipment in the field as well as the training of users,” declared Marie-Thérèse Itongo, Secretary-General of the International Commission of the Congo-Oubangui-Sangha Basin (CICOS). She indicated that this technical and environmental initiative aims to bridge the hydrological data gap in the context of climate change. The new hydrometric devices are intended for five countries of the regional area, namely Angola, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Gabon, while the Republic of the Congo already has an operational station. According to Hervé Conan, Director of the French Development Agency, monitoring of the natural resources of the Congo Basin and the impacts of climate change remains very limited, whereas studies show, for example, that by 2040 the onset of low-water periods could increase by 30% during rainy seasons. “It is therefore essential to continuously monitor hydro meteorological data in order to anticipate, in particular, the impacts of extreme events on water transport,” he added.
“These tools, handed over within the framework of strengthening river way monitoring, will indeed be properly used,” said Arnaud Kosia, River Transport Adviser at the Ministry of Transport. This deployment is part of the PROGIRE-SIEACC pilot project, co-financed by the French Development Agency and the French Global Environment Facility. It will make it possible to reach the minimum threshold of measurement stations recommended by the World Meteorological Organization. Furthermore, in terms of sanitation and navigation safety, the pan-African organization has moved to the practical implementation phase of its new regulations adopted at the end of 2023. In response to the weakness of residue collection facilities in ports, CICOS is distributing specific tanks and containers to stop the discharge of waste oils into waterways.
Field training sessions are accompanying the delivery of these tools in order to ensure their immediate management by national services. The International Commission of the Congo-Oubangui-Sangha Basin is a Central African sub-regional institution created in 2003 and headquartered in Kinshasa. It is responsible for promoting river navigation and ensuring integrated management of the basin’s water resources. It harmonizes navigation rules (buoyage, signaling and registration) and oversees the safety of river transport.