Innovative early warning system in KZN to combat extreme weather
The 2022 floods in Durban led to the birth of ‘weather’ (warning system for extreme weather events, awareness technology for healthcare, equitable and resilience), an early warning system for extreme weather events that is being developed to help vulnerable communities and healthcare systems in response to the devastating impacts of flooding and associated health risks.
Vulnerable districts in KwaZulu-Natal, namely eThekwini and Ugu, will be the focus.
With the use of technology and artificial intelligence (AI), the weather project will develop a comprehensive warning system tailored to the needs of affected communities.
The project is a collaboration involving the University of the West of Scotland (UWS), the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, and the University of Portsmouth.
Lead investigator Professor Mary Lynch, of the University of the West of Scotland, said when they learned about the impact of the 2022 floods in Durban, they started the journey of conversations and trying to decide what was the best solution to address the needs of the communities, particularly in Durban, KZN, and South Africa.
They brought in the disciplines that were required to bring about what is called the early warning system they will develop.
In June 2022, they submitted a funding application. Then in October 2022, they were invited to stage two.
“We were very fortunate at that stage that we also got money, which meant that we could come out and do a project proposal development award visit,” Lynch said.
They met four communities that were actively involved and engaged in the project. Three of them are based in eThekwini and one in Ugu.
“It has been fantastic to meet the communities to understand what’s important to them so that we can tailor the project to meet their needs. We also went to the hospitals to find out, from a health facilities’ perspective, what was key and important for them, because ongoing maintenance and adherence to treatment is important for the population here in South Africa,” Lynch explained.
“We took on board the key information that we got from the visit, and we submitted our funding application at the beginning of February 2023. Subsequent months went past, we kept the communication open and we were very fortunate that we were then informed of our selection as a project.
“We then had to meet certain requirements, which are set by the NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research), and we diligently went around meeting those requirements. And we were very fortunate then to be awarded the funding of £2.2 million for four years, which commenced at the beginning of January 2024,” Lynch continued.
“We have put in all the administration and everything and here we are now in February 2025 and very happy with being able to launch our project.”
UKZN Discipline Public Health Medicine head, Professor Saloshni Naidoo, said the project will be piloted in Merebank, Isipingo, uMnini in uMgababa, and Ugu.
“So the early warning system, whether it’s an app or through SMS, for those who don’t have a smartphone, we will make that available to them. So there will be a sample of individuals within the community who will get it, and then coupled with that will be actions that you take,” Naidoo said.
She said part of the project is working with the community to understand what communities do when they experience flooding and how they access healthcare services as well.
“Our plan is, through our research, to identify the best practices and what is possible,” Naidoo said.
“And our intention is to work with our partners so that they will be the conduit for expansion. Obviously, we will look for other funding to continue building and researching other important outcomes from the study. But our intention is to leave something and to build something workable and feasible for not just our province, but our country as well.”
thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za