Understanding the Impact of Human Interventions on the Hydrology of Nile Basin Headwaters, the Case of Upper Tekeze Catchments

Understanding the Impact of Human Interventions on the Hydrology of Nile Basin Headwaters, the Case of Upper Tekeze Catchments PDF Author: Tesfay Gebretsadkan Gebremicael
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 100073482X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 162

Book Description
The availability and distribution of water resources in catchments are influenced by various natural and anthropogenic factors. Human-induced environmental changes are key factors controlling the hydrological flows of semi-arid catchments. Land degradation, water scarcity and inefficient utilization of available water resources continue to be important constraints for socio-economic development in the headwater catchments of the Nile river basin in particular over the Ethiopian Catchments. This research investigates the impact of landscape anthropogenic changes on the hydrological processes in the Upper Tekeze basin (A tributary of the Nile). The hydrology of the basin is investigated through analysis of hydro-climatic data, remote sensing techniques, new field measurements and parsimonious hydrological models. The empirical evidence provided in this book confirms that human-induced environmental changes can significantly change the hydrology of catchments, both in negative (degradation) and in positive (restoration) ways. This book also shows that rainfall-runoff relationships in semi-arid catchments are non-uniform and hence the application of hydrological models in such catchments need special attention. Moreover, parsimonious dynamic hydrological model improves our understanding of the hydrological response to dynamic environmental changes.

Understanding Catchment Processes and Hydrological Modelling in the Abay/Upper Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia

Understanding Catchment Processes and Hydrological Modelling in the Abay/Upper Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia PDF Author: SIRAK TEKLEAB. GEBREKRISTOS
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 9781138373303
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 180

Book Description
The Abay / Upper Blue Nile basin contributes the largest share of discharge to the river Nile. However, the basin exhibits large spatio-temporal variability in rainfall and runoff. Moreover, human activities also impact hydrological processes through intensive agriculture, overgrazing and deforestation, which substantially affect the basin hydrology. Thus, understanding hydrological processes and hydro-climatic variables at various spatio-temporal scales is essential for sustainable management of water resources in the region. This research investigates the hydrology of the basin in depth using a range of methods at various spatio-temporal scales. The methods include long-term trend analysis of hydroclimatic variables, hydrologic responses analysis of land cover change, stable isotope techniques and process based rainfallrunoff modelling. A combination of field investigations with new measurements of precipitation, water levels and stable isotopes as well as existing hydro-climatic data offered gaining new insights about runoff generation processes in headwater catchments. The use of rainfall-runoff modelling in two meso-scale catchments of the Abay basin depict that a single model structure in a lumped way for the entire Abay basin cannot represent all the dominant hydrological processes. The results of the different approaches demonstrated the potential of the methods to better understand the basin hydrology in a data scarce region.

Nile River Basin

Nile River Basin PDF Author: Assefa M. Melesse
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400706898
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 419

Book Description
This book presents results of scientific studies ranging from hydrological modelling to water management and policy issues in the Nile River basin. It examines the physical, hydrometeorological and hydrogeological description of the basin along with analysis in understanding the hydrological processes of the basin under the changing land-use stemming from population pressure and increased natural resources tapping. The book discusses the increased impact of climate change on the river flows, and such issues as water availability and demand, management and policy to offset the imbalance between demand and available resources. This book will be of interest to researchers, practitioners, water resources mangers, policy makers as well as graduate and undergraduate students. It is a useful reference text for ecohydrology, arid zone hydrology, hydrology of transboundary rivers and similar courses.

The Nile Waters

The Nile Waters PDF Author: Joseph Awange
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030647560
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 267

Book Description
This book is useful to those in water resources management and policy formulations, hydrologists, environmentalists, engineers and researchers. Exploiting advanced statistical techniques and the latest state-of-the-art multi-mission satellites, surface models and reanalysis products, this book provides the first comprehensive weighing of the changes in the Nile River Basin’s (NRB: ~ 3,400,000 km2 ) stored waters' compartments, surface, soil moisture and groundwater, and their association to climate variability/change and anthropogenic impacts on the one hand. On the other hand, it argues on the need for equitable use of the NRB’s waters by all 11 countries within its basin, and doing away with obsolete Nile treaties that were signed by Britain, Egypt and Sudan, which prohibit the use of the Nile by 8 upstream countries. With Ethiopia’s construction of Africa’s largest dam (GERD; Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam) along the Blue Nile, which is expected to take several years to fill, the Nile is back on the news. Combined with Uganda’s Nalubaale, Kiira and Bujagali dams on the White Nile, these human-induced impacts (i.e., damming), coupled with those of climate variability/change, are expected to exacerbate tension with the low stream countries (Egypt and Sudan) fearing the cut in theNile’s total volume. Furthermore, the Nile river, arguably the world’s longest river (6800 km), impacts on the livelihood of over 300 million people of 11 countries within its basin. This population is expected to double in the next twenty-five years, thereby putting extreme pressure on its water resources. An in-depth analysis of changes in the Nile’s stored waters, therefore, is essential to inform its management and sustainable equitable use. Owing to its sheer size, however, obtaining in-situ data from “boots on the ground” is practically impossible, paving way to the space-based weighing of the Nile River Basin using a suite of high spatio-temporal remotely sensed and reanalysis products, as well as those of hydrological models. “Arguably, the Nile River is the most unique river in the world. It spans extremes of rainfall from being measured by meters to being measured by centimeters, from the humid tropics to the driest of deserts. Yet, thirsty people live throughout this basin and therefore the demands on its water resources are uneven. Knowing the water amounts throughout the entire Nile Basin is a critical step for governments and international treaties to avoid the “Tragedy of the Commons”. Africa can embrace this future through the leadership of Prof. Awange and others like him who have devoted their careers to Africa’s waters” —Doug Alsdorf, Ph.D., Professor of Geophysics at the Ohio State University (USA).

The Nile River Basin

The Nile River Basin PDF Author: Seleshi Bekele Awulachew
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136469435
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 346

Book Description
The Nile provides freshwater not only for domestic and industrial use, but also for irrigated agriculture, hydropower dams and the vast fisheries resource of the lakes of Central Africa. The Nile River Basin covers the whole Nile Basin and is based on the results of three major research projects supported by the Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF). It provides unique and up-to-date insights on agriculture, water resources, governance, poverty, productivity, upstream-downstream linkages, innovations, future plans and their implications. Specifically, the book elaborates the history and the major current and future challenges and opportunities of the Nile river basin. It analyzes the basin characteristics using statistical data and modern tools such as remote sensing and geographic information systems. Population distribution, poverty and vulnerability linked to production system and water access are assessed at the international basin scale, and the hydrology of the region is also analysed. This text provides in-depth scientific model adaptation results for hydrology, sediments, benefit sharing, and payment for environmental services based on detailed scientific and experimental work of the Blue Nile Basin. Production systems as they relate to crops, livestock, fisheries and wetlands are analyzed for the whole Blue and White Nile basin including their constraints. Policy, institutional and technological interventions that increase productivity of agriculture and use of water are also assessed. Water demand modeling, scenario analysis, and tradeoffs that inform future plans and opportunities are included to provide a unique, comprehensive coverage of the subject.

A review of hydrology, sediment and water resource use in the Blue Nile Basin

A review of hydrology, sediment and water resource use in the Blue Nile Basin PDF Author: Seleshi Bekele Awulachew
Publisher: IWMI
ISBN: 9290906995
Category : Blue Nile River Watershed (Ethiopia and Sudan)
Languages : en
Pages : 92

Book Description
This working paper has been prepared as one of the outputs of the ‘Improved water and land management in the Ethiopian Highlands and its impact on downstream stakeholders dependent on the Blue Nile’ project, supported by the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF). It provides a comprehensive literature review; identifies types, sources and provides geo-referencing of data in the basin; compiles information of hydrology, sediment, and water resources and its uses. It also provides a review of applicable models for watershed and water allocation simulation, research methods, past studies and published material related to the Blue Nile. Extensive reference material and previous studies are compiled.

The Nile Basin water resources: overview of key research questions pertinent to the Nile Basin initiative

The Nile Basin water resources: overview of key research questions pertinent to the Nile Basin initiative PDF Author: Yasir Mohamed
Publisher: IWMI
ISBN: 9290906898
Category : Nile River Watershed
Languages : en
Pages : 36

Book Description
The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) is a remarkable achievement towards the cooperative management of the common Nile water resources. Based on a Shared Vision Program and a Subsidiary Action Program, the NBI has numerous ongoing projects on the ground. Research on the Nile water resources has been recognized to be crucial for successful implementation of the NBI projects. Therefore, IWMI and other research centers have worked together with the NBI to identify knowledge gaps pertinent to the Nile water resources. This report presents prioritized research questions, pertinent ongoing research projects and the implementing institutions; and available databases on the Nile.

Nile River Basin

Nile River Basin PDF Author: Assefa M. Melesse
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3319027204
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 718

Book Description
The book provides a comprehensive overview of the hydrology of the Nile River, especially the ecohydrological degradation and challenges the basin is facing, the impact of climate change on water availability and the transboundary water management issues. The book includes analysis and approaches that will help provide different insights into the hydrology of this complex basin, which covers 11 countries and is home to over 300 million people. The need for water-sharing agreements that reflect the current situations of riparian countries and are based on equitable water- sharing principles is stressed in many chapters. This book explores water resource availability and quality and their trends in the basin, soil erosion and watershed degradation at different scales, water and health, land use and climate change impact, transboundary issues and water management, dams, reservoirs and lakes. The link between watershed and river water quantity and quality is discussed pointing out the importance of watershed protection for better water resource management, water accessibility, institutional set-up and policy, water demand and management. The book also presents the water sharing sticking points in relation to historical treaties and the emerging water demands of the upstream riparian countries. The need for collaboration and identification of common ground to resolve the transboundary water management issues and secure a win-win is also indicated.

Hydrology of the Nile Basin

Hydrology of the Nile Basin PDF Author: M.M.A. Shahin
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0444424334
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 593

Book Description
A wealth of hydrological, hydrometeorological, hydrometrical and other related data covering nearly all parts of the Nile Basin is presented in this volume. After an introductory chapter on the Nile's history, chapters cover: the physiography, topography, and climate of the different parts of the Nile Basin; rainfall on the Basin, evaporation from open surfaces, and evapotranspiration from cropped areas. Rainfall data for a 30-year period from 1938 to 1967 are summarized and analyzed; evaporation and evapotranspiration measurements are presented, analyzed and discussed. In the absence of actual measurements, attempts have been made to estimate them from a number of formulae using the available climatological normals. The results obtained are important for planning, design and management of water supply and control projects, especially for irrigation and drainage. The geology of the Nile Basin is briefly reviewed and its effect on groundwater potentials, quality and quantity is discussed. Surface runoff and discharge at the key stations is covered, and an extensive review given of existing water storage, control and conservation projects in the Nile Basin.Thus the volume contains an enormous amount of data that will be of great practical value to consulting engineers. It is a book which should be in the library of all hydrological institutes and universities.

Climate change impacts on hydrology and water resources of the Upper Blue Nile River Basin, Ethiopia

Climate change impacts on hydrology and water resources of the Upper Blue Nile River Basin, Ethiopia PDF Author: Kim, U., Kaluarachchi, J. J., Smakhtin, V. U.
Publisher: IWMI
ISBN: 9290906960
Category : Climate change mitigation
Languages : en
Pages : 31

Book Description
The report evaluates the impacts of climate change on the hydrological regime and water resources of the Blue Nile River Basin in Ethiopia. It starts from the construction of the climate change scenarios based on the outcomes of several general circulation models (GCMs), uses a simple hydrological model to convert theses scenarios into runoff, and examines the impacts by means of a set of indices. The results, however uncertain with existing accuracy of climate models, suggest that the region is likely to have the future potential to produce hydropower, increase flow duration, and increase water storage capacity without affecting outflows to the riparian countries in the 2050s.