The United Nations/Pakistan International Workshop on Integrated Use - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The United Nations/Pakistan International Workshop on Integrated Use of Space Technologies for Food and Water Security Venue: Islamabad, Pakistan, Date: 11 - 15 March, 2013

OUTLINE

 WATPLAN- origins & methodology  The shared Incomati basin  Why WATPLAN- capabilities & applicability  Water use in Swaziland  Potential benefits of WATPLAN  Taking WATPLAN forward

The WATPLAN PROJECT

 A tool for spatial earth observation monitoring for

planning and water allocation in the INCOMATI basin

 An operational earth observation monitoring

system

 An online state of the art near real-time monitoring

system

 Monitoring based on satellite images and ground

measurements

 Water and biomass related indicator data updated

weekly through a website accessible to registered stakeholders

The WATPLAN PROJECT

 A demonstration project funded by EU- from Feb

2011 – June 2013

 Combined forces from 7 specialist institutions  Data generation- SEBAL model used (developed and

• wned by eLEAF based at Wagenigen university)

 Rainfall derived thru- microwave data from FEWS-

NET sensors with in- situ rainfall data

 Crop yield estimates from biomass production

estimates

 Data disseminated using internet based portal- an

• perational monitoring website www.watplan.com

THE INCOMATI BASIN

TRANSBOUNDARY COOPERATION

LOCALISED BASIN MAP

INCOMATI BASIN CHARACTERISTICS

 Situated in the south-eastern corner of the African

continent

 Shared between South Africa, Swaziland, and

Mozambique

 Water use intense- : 50 % of the water generated in

the basin being withdrawn

 Water scarcity evident since the mid-1980s,

becoming more severe in the last decade.

 Effects of droughts & floods, ever more pronounced

WHY WATPLAN??

 Competition over water is real in INCOMATI, and

water abstractions are fast approaching limits of sustainability.

 Equitable and efficient water allocation requires

transparent and rational decision making, based on

• bjective and regular monitoring.

 Good quality data and monitoring systems are lacking  Quantitative, objective and regular measurements

needed.

WHY WATPLAN??

 Remote sensing technologies used to provide

• bjective and high quality data on a regular basis.

 WATPLAN developed as a tool to support

transparent and rational decision making on water allocation, verification of water use and sustainable water utilisation.

 Tool provides information which increases

knowledge & can be incorporated into latest technology and water modeling applications

COMPONENTS PROVIDED

 Actual Evapotranspiration (mm/week)  Biomass production (kg/ha/week)  Precipitation (mm/week)  Precipitation – Evapotranspiration (mm/week)

 Spatial resolution: 30 * 30 meter  Temporal resolution: weekly

SWAZILAND’S WATER USE PROFILE

 Agro based economy (highest contributor to GDP)

 Irrigation takes 96 % of available water resources  Sugar cane , the dominant crop  Intensive farming systems employed  Monitoring of performance of irrigation systems

important

 Water allocation across sectors key

 Need to ensure beneficial & efficient utilisation of

available water resources

 Exotic Forest Plantations another income generator

 Need to understand stream flow reduction impacts of

exotic forestry

SWAZILAND’S WATER USE IN THE KOMATI

 Large and small scale sugarcane plantations exist

(15 000 ha)

 Shared Maguga dam located in this basin and

requires accurate water releases and accounting

 Forestry, a major economic activity in the basin  Decentralisation- The Komati RBA has to plan

developments, operate the river and allocate & monitor all water diversions from the river in a manner that meets transboundary obligations.

IMPORTANCE TO SWAZILAND’S WATER MANAGEMENT

 Water allocation and verification of water use.

 Calculation of water balances  Determines actual water use up to farm level  Independent verifiable information generated

(creates trust amongst stakeholders)

 Ensures equitable and efficient water allocation.  Key for sustainable utilisation of water

 Monitoring of hydro- meteorological parameters

 Data used in designs of water infrastructure

 Water resources and land use planning

BENEFITS OF WATPLAN TO SWAZILAND

 Compare water use efficiency in agriculture

 Across different hydrometric regions  Between production and irrigation systems

 Estimates biomass production to assist to determine

water use efficiency

 Compare water consumption across different biophysical

areas of interest

 Quantify water consumption / requirements weekly  Quantify water use by forestry  Estimate environmental water requirements

WATER CONSUMPTION

Biomass production (Kg/ha/day)

BENEFITS OF WATPLAN TO SWAZILAND

 Provide useful information for irrigation scheduling

 Information on when to irrigate  How much water required  Which pump to switch when and for how long

 Biomass

production info useful in estimating fertilizer application rates and useful in drought monitoring

 Monitoring compliance to Treaties

BENEFITS OF WATPLAN TO SWAZILAND

 Data generation

 Weekly generation of evapotranspiration data  Biomass production data  Rainfall data  Correlation of rainfall and evapotranspiration data  Land cover information

 Feed reliable data to rainfall- runoff models  Ensure better water allocation and assist in water

accounting

 Verification of water use, monitoring water licensing

compliance

 Overall sustainable water utilisation

CROP DEVELOPMENT

Evapotranspiration (mm/day)

MOVING FORWARD

 WATPLAN is a demonstration project- ending

soon

 Data acquisition is not cheap  Need for data application to show value addition of

the WATPLAN products

 Need for joint roll out of transboundary projects to

utilise the generated data (opportunity for cost sharing)

 Capacity building

….END…. THANK YOU