| NBCBN-RE E-newsletter June 2009 | ||
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NBCBN Communication Platform "New Development of the Scientific Library"
This platform offers the opportunity to upload different documents and scientific papers to be shared by all members. Believing in the importance of the services provided, improvement and enhancement is always considered. Therefore the function of scientific papers is enhanced and new structure for organizing papers and a search facility is developed. This came as a response to the network members request during the recent regional workshops. In this context the NBCBN-SEC would like to take this opportunity to invite the network members to share their own scientific library with their colleagues. For interested members kindly send us your papers to be uploaded to the platform. Check the new development here: |
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New Development in the Knowledge Map (KM)
All different sources of data, information and knowledge are collected and stored in a regional Knowledge and Information Map which we call (Nile Basin Knowledge Map). The knowledge map is a tool designed to offer network members and external users an opportunity to trace the (who, where and what questions) related to the experts in the region. The KM is developed and made accessible with relevant detailed information on experts involved in the network, CoP's and scientific products of the different research groups associated with NBCBN. The KM is supported by navigation tools to link the different databases. This Km was launched on the NBCBN website science the beginning of the second phase of the network (http://km.nbcbn.com). Continuous development and enhancement is going on for easier access to information. A new function under the NBCBN component of the knowledge map is developed including all research topics, research group members, and research products of each regional research cluster. The function is extended to include the country nodes, local action research groups and research outputs. For the new development please visit: http://km.nbcbn.com/NBCBN/NBCBN_TreeView.asp |
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Management Team Meeting at NBCBN-SEC office, Hydraulics Research Institute, May 2009 As we are approaching the end of the second phase of the project, a scheduled NBCBN management team meeting was organized at the NBCBN-SEC office hosted by the Hydraulics Research Institute, Cairo, Egypt. The meeting was attended by NBCBN project manager Ir. Jan Luijendijk, project advisor Prof. Petru Boeriu and NBCBN-SEC team. The main objective of this meeting was to review and discuss the network progress and the work plan till the end of the current phase. In the mean time the team discussed the future plan of the network and a strategy for a third phase and the way forward. From the items discussed in this meeting; the different research activities progress and specially the climate change research activity under the Multi Disciplinary Research Modality. Also the discussion focused on the network events agenda; the short course on Modelling Support to Hydraulics Engineering in River Basin Development) that will be organized by the River Structures Cluster and held in Cairo-Hydraulics Research Institute in the period from 13 to 16 July 2009, the specific training workshop for local action research in D.R. Congo, joint workshop for Rwanda, D.R. C and Burundi, and general ideas on the future plan for the coming phase were highlighted |
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Overview on NBCBN Research Activities ( GIS and Modelling Research Cluster ) The GIS-Modelling research cluster is one of 6 research cluster under the Nile Basin Capacity Building Network for River Engineering. The cluster is coordinated by Egypt node, where the Hydraulics Research Institute is the hosting institution of the cluster. The member countries of this cluster are Sudan, D.R. Congo, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda. Research Topic:Sediment yield modelling using SWAT model in Tropical regions.
SWAT is a continuous-time distributed simulation watershed model (Arnold, et al., 1995). The model was originally developed by USDA ARS to predict the impact of land management practices on water, sediment, and agricultural chemicals yield in large ungauged basins (Arnold er al., 1995). One of its attractive features is that there is a long period of modeling experience behind this model. However, the model is quite complicated, and it cannot be used as a black box. Understanding of the model code is prerequisite for successful applications. SWAT can use daily records of climatic data to simulate the catchments hydrology. Besides, the model is public domain software. The group is coordinated by Prof. Dr. Preksedis Marco Ndomba, Tanzania, the group scientific advisors are Prof. Roland Price, UNESCO-IHE and Dr. Zoltan Vekerdy, ITC the Netherlands and the group includes the following members:
The overall objective of this research is to assess the suitability of SWAT model in sediment yield The specific objectives are:
The Expected outputs of this research are a report on sediment sampling program, a list of major hydrological factors that influence erosion processes in Rugezi Wadi Watier catchments, and a summary of soil erosion conservative measures suitable for reduction of sediment yield loads in Rugezi catchment. So far the group developed the following:
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From NBCBN Agenda: Next August - Specialized Training Workshop for D. R. Congo local Action Research Group The D.R.Congo selected the following research topic for its local action research activity: Impact of Climate change on the working of hydroelectric INGA-Dam-D.R.C.
The research generally focuses on the hydraulic and hydropower development problems and the impact of the climate change on the hydropower development scenarios of the dam. One of the main problems to be addressed with this research is limitation of current hydropower capacity than the expected capacity, and sedimentation problems of intakes. The lack of the scientific expertise in the domain of the climate change, the applied hydrology and geology, and the total absence of the technical services for follow-up of the performance of the dam are key problems facing the country on the professional level. From the expected research outputs:
To technically support this research group, it was decided with their scientific advisor Mr. Amaury Tilmant (UNESCO-IHE, Delft, The Netherlands) to organize a specialized training workshop that focuses on the state of the art of their research topic and to raise their capacity on the above mentioned research topic. This workshop will be also an opportunity for discussing research progress and obstacles facing the team in order to go on with their research activities. This workshop will be organized jointly by NBCBN-SEC and D.R.C Node hosting institution (Centre de Recherches Geologiques et Minieres, CRGM ) in early August 2009. |
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The network has developed through the past years one of the unique online platforms in the Nile basin. The platform includes different functions and modules, such as the chat room, file manager and other services for network members. 
One of the main challenges of the project is to capture, store and disseminate the information and knowledge that is produced by the network and communities of practice (CoP’s), to all water sector professionals in the region. 
This study envisages the use of runoff curve number option of SWAT to simulate surface runoff as required in MUSLE equation and the Penman-Monteith to estimate potential evapotranspiration. Assessment of SWAT model as a tool for predicting sediment yield in tropics is imperative for this research. Therefore, Lugezi catchment in Rwanda and Wadi Wader in Sinai, Egypt are chosen as cases of study.
The importance of this topic comes from the fact that the INGA dam not only provides the electric energy in the big cities of the west of the DRC and to the main mining industries in Katanga, but also to several neighboring countries like Congo Brazzaville, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Arrived to the point of completion, the INGA project will have the potential to serve all Africa.