AquaLinks Water management for Southern Africa

News

Done: ORASECOM Water Resources Planning Modelling 3rd training

August 2024

 

It was a pleasure for AquaLinks to complete 3 consecutive years of training hydrologists from the Orange-Senqu Basin in water resources planning modelling and its role in the basin. Great all 11 participants for four countries did continue for the 3 years and have made a sustainability plan to continue contributing! The ORASECOM secretariat has made this possible as our client. Also thanks to WR Nyabeze and Associates and WRP, Bailey and Pitman and DWS South Africa for their inputs. We hope to have contributed to level the playing field for other countries to understand the South African way of modelling for operational and strategic purposes that was adopted by ORASECOM.

Joined: Nosipho Dlamini

June 2024

 

Nosipho Dlamini joined AquaLinks in June 2024 as intern, while at the same time starting her PhD on the water, energy and food nexus and climate change. She is an agricultural engineer from the University of Kwazulu-Natal by  training, with a broad interest and has already proven to be an efficient worker! She will stay at AquaLinks until end of November 2024 after which she will pursue her PhD full time.

New: Development of Operating Rules for the Chobe Zambezi Water Transfer Scheme and the Integrated Agro-Commercial Development

January 2024

AquaLinks is working as subcontractor of WR Nyabeze and Associates (in association with Vector Development Botswana) on the hydrology for this important project for our client the Government of Botswana.

The Zambezi is an immense river but the intended maximum abstraction of 495 Mm3/year by Botswana, is also considerable. ZAMCOM has approved the abstraction intent, and ZAMCOM countries remain to give their inputs in the development of the operating rules. It was great to last week meet many stakeholders in Livingstone, Victoria Falls and Kasane. Thanks to them for their openness and cooperation to get the right contents. Now the data crunching starts!

(The picture was taken at Livingstone water intake on the Zambian side of the Zambezi. The other side of the water is an island splitting the river in two.)

Done: Three trainings in three months

December 2023

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!