Establishing the Environmental Flow Regime for the Middle Zambezi River
Establishing the Environmental Flow Regime for the Middle Zambezi River

Author: Elenestina Mwelwa-Mutekenya

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2021-07-28

Total Pages: 190

ISBN-13: 0429610726

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The Middle Zambezi, host to a rich biodiversity, is located in the central part of the Zambezi River Basin which covers eight Southern African Countries. The area is located downstream of three hydropower schemes. In the last decades, the floodplain riparian tree, the Faidherbia albida, vital for the local wild life, has shown a worrying decrease in its regeneration rates. This thesis explores establishing the environmental flow regime for the Middle Zambezi reach in order to minimise the impact of the upstream hydropower schemes on the river environment, using the Faidherbia albida tree as a biological indicator. The research identified that the current dam operations have completely altered the natural hydrological rhythm from pre-Kariba dam dry season flows of 100-200 m3/s increasing to 1,000-1,500 m3/s. The sudden closure of the dam floodgates can be linked to the observed river channel-widening phenomenon. In addition, the Faidherbia albida tree now experiences longer flood residence over the floodplain, making it inaccessible to animals to allow for regeneration. In order to save the F. albida tree, a two-pronged environmental flow regime is proposed of releasing a moderate flood of 5,800 m3/s once in 5 years, for 5 to 6 weeks in the months of February to March, and phasing the spillway gates closure over a period of 3 to 4 weeks to keep the floodplain wet enough until the months of May and June. Phasing of the spillway gate closure would also mitigate the excessive bank erosion.

Establishing the Environmental Flow Regime for the Middle Zambezi River
Establishing the Environmental Flow Regime for the Middle Zambezi River

Author: Elenestina Mwelwa-Mutekenya

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2024-08-30

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781138373501

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The Middle Zambezi, host to a rich biodiversity, is located in the central part of the Zambezi River Basin which covers eight Southern African Countries. The area is located downstream of three hydropower schemes. In the last decades, the floodplain riparian tree, the Faidherbia albida, vital for the local wild life, has shown a worrying decrease in its regeneration rates. This thesis explores establishing the environmental flow regime for the Middle Zambezi reach in order to minimise the impact of the upstream hydropower schemes on the river environment, using the Faidherbia albida tree as a biological indicator. The research identified that the current dam operations have completely altered the natural hydrological rhythm from pre-Kariba dam dry season flows of 100-200 m3/s increasing to 1,000-1,500 m3/s. The sudden closure of the dam floodgates can be linked to the observed river channel-widening phenomenon. In addition, the Faidherbia albida tree now experiences longer flood residence over the floodplain, making it inaccessible to animals to allow for regeneration. In order to save the F. albida tree, a two-pronged environmental flow regime is proposed of releasing a moderate flood of 5,800 m3/s once in 5 years, for 5 to 6 weeks in the months of February to March, and phasing the spillway gates closure over a period of 3 to 4 weeks to keep the floodplain wet enough until the months of May and June. Phasing of the spillway gate closure would also mitigate the excessive bank erosion.

The Zambezi River Basin
The Zambezi River Basin

Author: Jonathan Lautze

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-07-28

Total Pages: 359

ISBN-13: 1315282038

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The Zambezi river is the fourth longest in Africa, crossing or bordering Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The river basin is widely recognised as one of the most important basins in southern Africa and is the focus of contested development, including water for hydropower and for agriculture and the environment. This book provides a thorough review of water and sustainable development in the Zambezi, in order to identify critical issues and propose constructive ways forward. The book first reviews the availability and use of water resources in the basin, outlines the basin’s economic potential and highlights key concerns related to climate vulnerability and risk. Focus is then devoted to hydropower and the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus, sustainable agricultural water management, and threats and opportunities related to provision of ecosystem services. The impact of urbanisation and water quality is also examined, as well as ways to enhance transboundary water cooperation. Last, the book assesses the level of water security in the basin, and provides suggestions for achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6. Throughout, emphasis is placed on entry points for basin-level management to foster improved paths forward.

Facing the Facts
Facing the Facts

Author: Hans E. Beekman

Publisher: UNEP/Earthprint

Published: 2006-07-07

Total Pages: 147

ISBN-13: 9280725742

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Africa's high dependence upon natural resources makes the continent particularly vulnerable to changes in the availability of water as a result of climate changes. In this study, the vulnerability of water resources to environmental change is assessed on a river/lake/groundwater basin scale for the Southern, Eastern, Western and Northern African regions.

Routledge Library Editions: Development Mini-Set E: Development and the Environment
Routledge Library Editions: Development Mini-Set E: Development and the Environment

Author: Various Authors

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2022-07-30

Total Pages: 904

ISBN-13: 1136880054

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Routledge Library Editions: Development will re-issue works which address economic, political and social aspects of development. Published over more than four decades these books trace the emergence of development as one of the most important contemporary issues and one of the key areas of study for modern social science. The books cover the most important themes within development and include studies of Latin America, Africa and Asia. Authors include Sir Alexander Cairncross, W. Arthur Lewis, Lord Peter Bauer and Cristobal Kay. An extensive collection of previously hard to access or out of print books, this set presents an unrivalled opportunity to build up a wealth of material in the field of development studies, with a particular focus upon economic and political concerns. The volumes in the collection offer both a global overview of the history of development in the twentieth century, and a huge variety of case studies on the development of individual nations. For institutional purchases for e-book sets please contact [email protected] (customers in the UK, Europe and Rest of World)

Management of River Basins and Dams
Management of River Basins and Dams

Author: M.J. Tumbare

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2021-04-30

Total Pages: 247

ISBN-13: 1000446522

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The Zambezi river basin is the fourth largest river basin in Africa and drains a total of some 1350.000 square km. The basin drains eight countries: Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The river flows over the famous Victoria Falls into the third largest artificial lake in the world: Lake Kariba. The Zambezi Basin is rich in natural resources and has a large hydro-power potential. This volume contains 37 papers which have been published in international journals, or presented at international conferences by the Zambezi River Authority staff. The topics covered include: Dam Safety, Rehabilitation and Maintenance, Environment and Health, Hydrology, Limnology, Information Systems, Water Resource Management, Hydropower Development and Socio-Economic Issues.

Environmental Flow Assessment
Environmental Flow Assessment

Author: John G. Williams

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2019-06-10

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 1119217369

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Provides critiques of current practices for environmental flow assessment and shows how they can be improved, using case studies. In Environmental Flow Assessment: Methods and Applications, four leading experts critique methods used to manage flows in regulated streams and rivers to balance environmental (instream) and out-of-stream uses of water. Intended for managers as well as practitioners, the book dissects the shortcomings of commonly used approaches, and offers practical advice for selecting and implementing better ones. The authors argue that methods for environmental flow assessment (EFA) can be defensible as well as practicable only if they squarely address uncertainty, and provide guidance for doing so. Introductory chapters describe the scientific and social reasons that EFA is hard, and provide a brief history. Because management of regulated streams starts with understanding freshwater ecosystems, Environmental Flow Assessment: Methods and Applications includes chapters on flow and organisms in streams. The following chapters assess standard and emerging methods, how they should be tested, and how they should (or should not) be applied. The book concludes with practical recommendations for implementing environmental flow assessment. Describes historical and recent trends in environmental flow assessment Directly addresses practical difficulties with applying a scientifically informed approach in contentious circumstances Serves as an effective introduction to the relevant literature, with many references to articles in related scientific fields Pays close attention to statistical issues such as sampling, estimation of statistical uncertainty, and model selection Includes recommendations for methods and approaches Examines how methods have been tested in the past and shows how they should be tested today and in the future Environmental Flow Assessment: Methods and Applications is an excellent book for biologists and specialists in allied fields such as engineering, ecology, fluvial geomorphology, environmental planning, landscape architecture, along with river managers and decision makers.

Gravel Bed Rivers
Gravel Bed Rivers

Author: Michael Church

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2012-02-10

Total Pages: 605

ISBN-13: 1119954258

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Gravel-Bed Rivers: Processes, Tools, Environments presents a definitive review of current knowledge of gravel-bed rivers, derived from the 7th International Gravel-bed Rivers Workshop, the 5-yearly meeting of the world’s leading authorities in the field. Each chapter in the book has been specifically commissioned to represent areas in which recent progress has been made in the field. The topics covered also represent a coherent progression through the principal areas of the subject (hydraulics; sediment transport; river morphology; tools and methods; applications of science). Definitive review of the current knowledge of gravel-bed rivers Coverage of both fundamental and applied topics Edited by leading academics with contributions from key researchers Thoroughly edited for quality and consistency to provide coherent and logical progression through the principal areas of the subject.

Climate System Dynamics and Modelling
Climate System Dynamics and Modelling

Author: Hugues Goosse

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2015-08-10

Total Pages: 377

ISBN-13: 1316033503

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This textbook presents all aspects of climate system dynamics, on all timescales from the Earth's formation to modern human-induced climate change. It discusses the dominant feedbacks and interactions between all the components of the climate system: atmosphere, ocean, land surface and ice sheets. It addresses one of the key challenges for a course on the climate system: students can come from a range of backgrounds. A glossary of key terms is provided for students with little background in the climate sciences, whilst instructors and students with more expertise will appreciate the book's modular nature. Exercises are provided at the end of each chapter for readers to test their understanding. This textbook will be invaluable for any course on climate system dynamics and modeling, and will also be useful for scientists and professionals from other disciplines who want a clear introduction to the topic.