LAB-GIRE-SAVA: Integrated Water Resources Management Laboratory of the SAVA Region

This project is led by “GIRE SAVA (Université de la SAVA – <ALIST)”. The SAVA region (northeast of Madagascar) is exposed to serious water risks: floods, cyclones, droughts, erosion and loss of biodiversity, aggravated by deforestation and climate change. Access to drinking water remains inadequate (33 of 86 county towns have no drinking water), and agricultural, fish-farming and energy activities are severely constrained by the irregularity of hydrological regimes and the deterioration of water quality.

The LAB-GIRE-SAVA initiative aims to transform the Ankavia watershed into a natural reference laboratory for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). Led by the SAVA University (Madagascar) in partnership with UCLouvain (Belgium) and several Malagasy institutions and local NGOs, it articulates academic research and applied development around five concrete results: (1) modeling the impact of climate change and land use on water resources; (2) deployment of SMART methodologies for monitoring water quality combining citizen science and remote sensing; (3) strengthening of the social-economic frameworkEconomic and institutional aspects of IWRM; (4) commissioning of a dashboard for the Ankavia water observatory; (5) operationalization of a water quality analysis laboratory at the‐PHARE.

Building on the achievements of the IWRM-SAVA project (2017–2023), this initiative sustainably strengthens local capacities, promotes citizen participation in water management, and contributes to achieving SDGs 6, 2, and 13 for the SAVA region.