AquaLinks Water management for Southern Africa

News

DONE: Three trainings in three months

Making tailor made trainings is hard work but a pleasure to do. It were three busy months, with three trainings:

  • 4 day Orange-Senqu wide WRPM Modelling Training as part of a capacity building programme of ORASECOM; 11 selected hydrologists of the four Member States are trained for 2.5 years. The training is now followed up by online sessions; we are now jointly preparing a report together with the participants! Led by AquaLinks with WR Nyabeze as subcontractor.
  • 2 day training on Digital Climate Advisory Services for Smallholder farmers, with  participants from eight SADC countries, done for the Global Center on Adaptation as subcontractor of WeatherImpact. See below for more information.
  • 1 day onsite training followed by 2 day online Mock to train Disaster Management of the Incomati and Maputo Basins for INMACOM. As subcontractor of WR Nyabeze and Associates.

This is in line with the capacity building objectives of AquaLinks. More such projects are welcome!

Done: Digital Climate Advisory Services Training for small holder farmers

September 2023

The training on Digital Climate Advisory Services for smallholder farmers in Southern Africa took place 27-28 September 2023 in Kopanong hotel with about 70 participants on site and 30-40 online. Funded by the Global Center on Adaptation and co-hosted by the African Development Bank, Weather Impact together with AquaLinks (subcontractor) organized the training. Find the training material and posters of participants, as well as the booklet of the graphic harvester, on the WeatherImpact website (link). Recording of training day 1 link. Recording of Training day 2 link.

Save the date: Training session on Digital Climate Advisory Services for smallholder farmers in Southern Africa

July 2023

The Global Center on Adaptation and the African Development Bank are hosting a training session for Digital Climate Advisory Services for small holder farmers in Southern Africa. The training session is hybrid, with about 50 participants coming to the Kopanong conference centre on 27-28 September 2023. Others can participate online or follow the livestream. Together with Weather Impact, AquaLinks is organizing the training session. Save the date!

More info will be published on weatherimpact.com

Published: Leaflet E. coli pollution effects on farming

November 2022

Effects of E. coli pollution on farming; case study on farming in Crocodile and Sabie River catchments. This report written by AquaLinks (Marieke de Groen, Sinovuyo Mbobo, Prof. Lise Korsten, Abiodun Ogundeji) in 2020-2021 has now been summarized by client WWF (thanks Klaudia Schachtschneider!) to leaflet of 4 pages available on WWF website (link).

Done: Training session WRPM for ORASECOM Member States

November 2022

Eleven participants from the departments of Water of Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa with very limited experience in water resources modelling, were thrown in the deep end which is WRPM modelling. Thanks to their intelligence and attitude, they kept floating. The training session was given 21-24 November by ORASECOM in Ekurhuleni, South Africa. AquaLinks, supported by WRNA and with a guest presentation of Bailey and Pitman Water Resources, took care of the contents and the facilitation of the lively discussions. Looking forward to the continue the coming years of support to this group of experts and ORASECOM!

Public: Synoptic Surface Water Hydrology Report 2020-2021 for Orange-Senqu Basin

April 2022,

For the Orange-Senqu Basin, the Synoptic Surface Water Report on the hydrological year 2020-2021 that AquaLinks produced for ORASECOM is out. Cyclone Eloise had a big influence. The report was prepared by Marieke de Groen and Mankoe Raliengoane, with inputs of the ORASECOM Surface Water Hydrological Committee members and their colleagues in the four Member States. The project also delivered Word and Excel-templates for them to produce a similar report next year themselves. Soon to be uploaded on ORASECOM website. Drop an email to marieke@aqualinks.co.za or mike.ramaano@orasecom.org if you would like a copy, or via Linkedin link.

(Photo credits Wikimedia commons: Brian Ralphs (Nosob river), Damien du Toit (Orange River South Africa), SkyPixels (Fish River), Lschefa (Senqu River, Lesotho))

Starting: Capacity building on water resources modelling of Orange-Senqu Basin

March 2022

ORASECOM has awarded the contract for “Services to facilitate water resources modelling and capacity building for ORASECOM Member States” to AquaLinks! We will start the project this month with in our team Marieke de Groen (AquaLinks), Washington Nyabeze (WRNA), Allan Bailey (Bailey and Pitman Water Resources) and Mankoe Raliengoane (subcontractor). The project continues until July 2024.