Development of an integrated water resources management system in southern african catchments

Water resources management is a contentious challenge in Southern Africa. Scarce resources, often poor quality, unfavourable temporal and spatial distribution and competing stakeholders characterise the water resources in this region. The following general objectives and techniques are investigated: (a) Development of dynamic water balance and erosion models for three study catchments using remotely sensed and other data, (b) assessment of water demand and usage of the different user sectors and stakeholders, (c) design and simulation of “What if?” scenarios to investigate trends and interactions of the complex water resources planning process, and (d) development and implementation of strategies to solve water allocation conflicts. The product of the project, the prototype IWRMS, is an innovative computer based toolset designed as an assembly of tested, validated and well documented procedures comprising techniques of database management, remote sensing, GIS, process modelling, decision support and implementation strategies. The modelling results and first prototype installations in Southern Africa show the applicability of this system.