A Tailor-Made Training was provided to three ARAs in Mozambique, being ARA-Centro (Beira), ARA-Centro-Norte (Nampula), and ARA-Norte (Pemba). The provided Tailor-Made Training focused on learning to work with a Water Resources and Water Allocation Model, and apply them to a catchment in Mozambique. Emphasis was put on how these tools can be integrated in the decision making process of the ARAs.

Explaining the topics that need to be covered in the group presentations.
Explaining the topics that need to be covered in the group presentations.

The mission of the Administração Regional de Águas (ARAs) in Mozambique is to make sure that the appropriate amount of good-quality water is delivered to the water-users at the desired place and time. In order to realize this mission, the ARAs deliver products in the form of data, advice, services and permits. Data that is gathered consists of rainfall, discharge, water quality, and water-extraction by users. This data is delivered as a service to Direcção Nacional de Águas (DNA). Besides data gathering and delivery, ARAs have an advisory role towards policy makers and people living in their management area. The advisory role towards policy makers focuses on water planning issues on the long-term, like e.g. potential areas for construction of new reservoirs, expansion of current reservoirs, the required capacity of reservoirs, potential areas for irrigation, and the maximum area that can be developed for irrigated agriculture. The advisory role towards people living in their management area consists of early-warning and evacuation advice when there is a potential danger of floods.

Currently, the ARAs in Mozambique face a knowledge gap to manage their water resources and to serve their clients. This knowledge gap consists of a mixed interplay between insufficient knowledge of water resources in their respective regions, missing tools to analyze their water systems, and the ability to apply those tools. In order to close this knowledge gap, a Tailor-Made Training was required to equip the staff of three ARAs with additional knowledge to have a stronger advisory role towards policy and decision makers, and people living in the area. FutureWater provided this training to three ARAs in Mozambique, being ARA-Centro (Beira), ARA-Centro-Norte (Nampula), and ARA-Norte (Pemba). This training was funded by NUFFIC’s Tailor-Made Training Programme, which is part of the Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP II), and is specifically meant to enhance the overall functioning of an organization by training a selected group of its staff members.

Hands-on SPHY model training.
Hands-on SPHY model training.

The provided Tailor-Made Training focused on learning to work with a Water Resources and Water Allocation Model, and apply them to a catchment in Mozambique. The Spatial Processes in HYdrology (SPHY) model is used as Water Resources Model, and the Water Evaluation And Planning (WEAP) model is used as Water Allocation Model. Emphasis is put on how these tools can be integrated in the decision making process of the ARAs.

Group presentation: showing graph with monthly rainfall for the Buzi River Basin.
Group presentation: showing graph with monthly rainfall for the Buzi River Basin.
Group presentation: showing annual water balance for the Buzi River Basin.

Topics covered during this Tailor-Made Training are:

  • Theoretical understanding of hydrological processes
  • Basic hydrological modeling concepts
  • Data requirements, availability, and quality
  • Getting familiar with the SPHY model
  • Setup a SPHY model for a case-study basin in Mozambique
  • Getting familiar with the WEAP model
  • Setup a WEAP model for a case-study basin in Mozambique
  • Build a SPHY and WEAP model for a high-priority basin within ARA-Centro, ARA-Centro-Norte, and ARA-Norte