The session explores how action-oriented research, innovation, modelling, capacity development, and multi-stakeholder cooperation can support more adaptive and inclusive water management pathways. It emphasizes translating scientific knowledge into institutional strengthening, system thinking, policy processes, and practical implementation, while moving beyond monosectoral approaches toward integrated strategies that address equity, allocation trade-offs, and governance under a changing hydrological cycle.
We invite interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary contributions advancing water management under climate stress, with broader relevance through comparative or transferable lessons. Contributions may include:
- Climate-resilient and equitable water management case studies,
- Capacity development initiatives in water governance and climate adaptation,
- Cross-sectoral partnerships and co-production processes,
- Innovative tools and methodologies, including monitoring, Earth observation, modelling, digital twin, and decision-support systems,
- Governance and policy instruments promoting fairness and resilience.
By combining insights from African and Mediterranean experiences, the session seeks to identify scalable and context-sensitive pathways for cooperative and sustainable water resources management. Through dialogue and synthesis, it aims to generate actionable insights for water policy and practice and contribute to global debates on water governance and climate resilience.
All session participants are invited to attend a townhall (splinter) meeting associated with this session. Further details will be communicated in due course.
Capacity development is widely recognised as a critical foundation for strengthening climate resilience and advancing effective water resources management across Africa. As climate change intensifies hydrological variability, the capacity of higher education and research institutions to train skilled specialists, generate scientific knowledge, and support evidence-based adaptation becomes increasingly important. In response to these challenges, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has supported long-term structure-building collaborations between African and German institutions, notably through the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) and the Southern African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL).
A central element of both initiatives is the implementation of structured doctoral programmes coordinated and academically anchored at the International Centre for Water Resources and Global Change (ICWRGC) in Koblenz. These programmes integrate rigorous coursework, interdisciplinary research, and joint African–German supervision to ensure comparable academic standards and coherence across regions. Within this framework, student mobility to Germany constitutes a key component aimed at enhancing research quality, fostering scientific independence, and strengthening international collaboration.
The presentation investigates the significance of student mobility for capacity development, drawing on qualitative evidence from interviews with doctoral students participating in the SASSCAL Graduate School in Integrated Water Resource Management (SGSP-IWRM). In addition, evaluation interviews were conducted with German supervisors to assess academic performance, professional conduct, institutional and social integration, research progress, and the overall mobility experience. The results of these supervisory evaluations are presented alongside student perspectives.
The analysis explores students’ objectives, supervision experiences, participation in academic activities, perceived benefits and challenges, and overall academic progress. These findings are complemented by supervisors’ assessments, providing a comprehensive view of the mobility experience. The results demonstrate that student mobility makes a substantial contribution to capacity development at both individual and institutional levels. Key outcomes include the advancement of technical and analytical research skills, increased academic independence and leadership capacity, expanded professional networks, enhanced cross-cultural competencies, and strengthened institutional linkages and research visibility.
Despite these positive impacts, several challenges were identified, including constraints related to the duration of mobility periods, limited supervisor availability, and financial and administrative procedures. Based on these insights, the presentation recommends extending mobility periods to a minimum of six months, improving the alignment between supervisor availability and student timelines, streamlining financial and administrative processes, and strengthening pre-departure orientation and support mechanisms. Overall, the study provides evidence-based guidance for optimizing student mobility as a strategic instrument for sustainable capacity development in climate- and water-related research programmes across Africa.
How to cite: Hashweh, L. and Bharati, L.: Significance of Students’ Mobility Towards Capacity Development , EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-13513, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-13513, 2026.
Southern Africa faces escalating challenges to water management and food security as climate change intensifies pressures on water availability, quality, and equitable access. In the Cuvelai-Etosha, Cunene River and Upper Limpopo River Basins, highly variable rainfall, recurrent floods and droughts, ephemeral river systems, and high evaporation rates compound vulnerabilities. Rapid urbanization, agricultural demands, ecosystem degradation, and socio-economic instability further increase communities’ vulnerability, directly affecting livelihoods, irrigation, and reliable food access. Effective responses require integrated, climate-sensitive approaches that address environmental, social, and institutional dimensions of risk, strengthen adaptive capacities, and prioritize locally appropriate water management strategies.
Under the Co-Design of a Hydrometeorological Information System for Sustainable Water Resources Management in Southern Africa (Co-HYDIM-SA) project, part of the Water Security in Africa (WASA) Programme, we implement a participatory, multi-criteria decision-making framework to assess flood and drought risks. The methodology integrates hazard, exposure, and vulnerability indicators derived from remote sensing, climate records, hydrological and water storage data, socio-economic statistics, and local knowledge. Indicators lists for risk factors are compiled from literature and discussed with stakeholders during workshops, where they are prioritized and weighted to reflect both empirical evidence and local perspectives, ensuring that assessments capture local priorities, perceptions, and decision-making needs.
The approach generates spatially explicit flood and drought risk maps, supporting the co-design of the CUVEWIS hydro-meteorological information system to guide climate-resilient water governance. By capturing the spatio-temporal dynamics of floods and droughts, including ephemeral iishana flows in the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin, and incorporating socio-political and economic drivers of vulnerability, the project strengthens adaptive capacities at multiple scales. Flood and drought hazards and exposure are analysed through diverse indicators such as rainfall variability, soil moisture, groundwater stress, and surface water extent, while vulnerability incorporates water and food access, livelihoods, infrastructure, and coping capacity.
By combining research, stakeholder engagement, and practical tools, this work demonstrates how localized, evidence-based strategies can guide adaptive water management. Addressing the entanglement of hydrological risks with social inequalities highlights the value of interdisciplinary, participatory approaches for operationalizing early warning systems, improving risk communication, and supporting sustainable, inclusive water management. Beyond the studied transboundary basins, this framework offers transferable insights for climate-resilient water management across Southern Africa and contributes to broader regional and global dialogues on integrated water resource governance under climate change.
Key words: Flood and drought risk, participatory risk assessment, water security, vulnerability, multi-criteria decision approach.
Acknowledgement: The WASA programme in Germany was launched under the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), with the collaboration of six additional federal ministries and their respective institutions.
How to cite: Pamukçu Albers, P., Evers, M., and Sin, H. P.: Integrating Stakeholder Knowledge and Multi-Criteria Risk Assessment for Climate-Resilient Water Management in Southern Africa, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-1498, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-1498, 2026.
Across five African countries, practical use cases supported by the Digital Innovations for Water-Secure Africa (DIWASA) initiative demonstrate how Earth observation (EO) based digital tools can address diverse water management challenges in data-scarce contexts. The International Water Management Institute (IWMI), through DIWASA, facilitated structured multi-stakeholder dialogues with use case owners, including the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Development (MIWD) in Ethiopia, the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (GIDA) in Ghana, the Directorate General of Water Resources (DGRE) in Burkina Faso, the Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA) in Zambia, and the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) in Uganda.
A co-design process was implemented involving the use case owner and other beneficial organizations that engaged user case owners in collaboration with various public agencies, academia, and private-sector actors to jointly define problems, co-develop EO-enabled solutions, and agree on delivery mechanisms. Each process produced a clear roadmap detailing activities, stakeholder responsibilities, and timelines. Use case owners and primary beneficiaries led problem definition and data sharing; IWMI researchers developed analytical workflows and models; interns and fellows contributed to analysis; focal persons bridged the gap between researchers and practitioners; and a broad set of stakeholders validated inputs, methods, and outputs.
This process resulted in five operational use cases. In Burkina Faso, a water accounting dashboard for the Nakanbé Moyen sub-basin integrates multi-source data to quantify water availability and consumption, supporting allocation decisions and conflict reduction. In Zambia, a basin-scale water accounting framework for the Lunsemfwa Basin supports water-use permitting by estimating abstractions, tracking interannual changes, and identifying non-compliant irrigation sites. In Uganda, remote sensing-based flood monitoring informs infrastructure development decisions for Kampala. In Ghana and Ethiopia, irrigation scheme-level water accounting tools were developed, tailored to user needs, and supported water user associations in Ghana and generated investment-ready evidence for scheme revitalization in Ethiopia. For all these use cases, a co-created dashboard ensures that all stakeholders contribute to its design and development, resulting in visualizations that are not only interactive and easy to understand but also directly relevant to users’ needs.
These practical use cases highlight how co-creation enhances relevance, ownership, and uptake of EO-based digital tools, offering transferable lessons for scaling digital water innovations across Africa and beyond.
How to cite: Tilahun, S. A., Haile, A. T., Makungwe, M., Ashaley, J., Likassa, A., Kapacha, C., Barro, A., Owusu, A., dembele, M., Akpoti, K., Leh, M., Tadesse, M., Gebreyesus, K., Velpuri, N., and Seid, A.: Co-creating earth observation use cases for informed water management decisions in African River Basins , EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-7815, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-7815, 2026.
Globally about 60% of our food is produced under rainfed agriculture (RFA), i.e. without significant irrigation infrastructure. In some regions of the world, such as sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, etc., RFA can cover more than 90% of food production. At the same time, RFA is extremely vulnerable to climate variability and change, through changes in rainfall (timing and intensity) and air temperature (warming and higher evaporative demand). This significantly challenges the future of food security and the livelihoods of farmers in RFA regions, particularly in small-holder subsistence systems. It is therefore a high priority to be able to provide stakeholders in such RFA systems with state-of-the-art information about their vulnerabilities today and in the future, so they can prepare and adapt.
Here we provide an example of such science-based information on the key aspects (climatic, hydrological, agroecological) of the functioning of RFA systems in Ethiopia, combining publicly available gridded climate, soil, land use, and crop data with agrohydrological models and data analytics. We present three main results of such analyses: (a) We show how the temporal characteristics of rainfall can be quantified, particularly the onset of the rainy season and the seasonal distribution of rainfall, which fundamentally determine the growing season water availability, and we show how delays in the rainy season led to measurable crop yield losses. (b) We show how water-limited crop yields (crop yield gaps) within the growing season can be estimated by an agrohydrological modelling framework under present and future climates, and we illustrate where rainfall or temperature changes dominate the response. (c) We show how the potential changes in cropland suitability given by a combination of climatic and soil properties for staple crops can be quantified, allowing good spatial predictions of where/which crops can grow today and in the future.
Ultimately, this work shows that climate change is likely to negatively affect future water availability and crop yields, especially in dry areas across the RFA region of Ethiopia. The anticipated impacts on cropland suitability are potentially severe, leading to elevation-related shifts and an overall reduction in suitable cropland areas for major cereal crops such as maize, teff, sorghum, and wheat. Our methods can be replicated in other RFA regions globally and we argue that such analyses can be a critical source of science-based information needed for risk management and for developing long-term climate adaptation plans for climate resilient crop production.
How to cite: Molnar, P. and Wakjira, M.: Science-based information for adaptation to climate change in rainfed agriculture, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-13696, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-13696, 2026.
Climate change is intensifying hydrological extremes and degrading water quality in East Africa, increasing the vulnerability of communities and ecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions. To support evidence-based, climate-resilient water resources management in Ethiopia, the EU–AICS Integrated Water Resources Management programme (EU-IWRM) implemented a multi-level capacity development pathway across the Awash, Danakil and Webi Shebele basins.
The programme strengthened institutional and technical competencies for integrated surface and groundwater quality monitoring through distance-learning, field-based training, and an advanced laboratory programme at CNR-IRSA in Italy, which also provided hands-on training in key analytical techniques for chemical and microbiological water characterization.
Ethiopian staff from the Ministry of Water and Energy, Basin Administration Offices, and Regional Water Bureaus were trained in monitoring network design, sampling strategies, data standardization, and statistical reporting. Field campaigns across the Awash basin characterized water quality using physicochemical, inorganic, nutrient, trace-metal and microbiological indicators, following protocols aligned with the EU Water Framework Directive. Complementary laboratory training, both in Ethiopia and Italy, enhanced analytical capabilities and supported the co-development of standardized field forms, harmonized databases, and GIS-based reporting tools.
Preliminary findings from the three sampling campaigns highlight turbidity, salinity and fluoride concentrations exceeding WHO standards as key challenges that jeopardize water use for both human consumption and irrigation purposes. The experience demonstrates how targeted international cooperation can translate research methodologies into operational monitoring frameworks, reinforcing institutional ownership and supporting long-term water quality governance under increasing climate pressures.
How to cite: Fazi, S., Esuneh, Y., Pennellini, S., Adela, N., Preziosi, E., Melita, M., Amalfitano, S., Spadoni, M., Lemessa Tsgera, S., and Casentini, B.: Building integrated surface and groundwater quality monitoring capacity for climate-resilient IWRM in Ethiopia: a cooperation experience in the Awash–Danakil–Webi Shebele basins, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-19951, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-19951, 2026.
Sustainable water management under a changing hydrological cycle increasingly requires approaches that integrate hydrological processes, water quality dynamics, and decision-making across multiple sectors. Anthropogenic pressures such as urban and industrial wastewater discharge, as well as excessive nutrient inputs from agriculture, exacerbate water quality degradation and ecological stress. This is particularly pronounced in small inland waters, which are often under-monitored yet critical for local water supply, agriculture, and ecosystem services. These challenges are amplified by data scarcity and limited monitoring capacity, constraining equitable water allocation and evidence-based governance.
This contribution presents a remote sensing–based framework for assessing spatio-temporal water quality dynamics in small inland waters, with a focus on supporting multisectoral water management under data-limited conditions. The approach is demonstrated through a case study on the River Aller in Celle, Germany, where the potential impact of a wastewater treatment plant was assessed on the river water quality. Satellite observations are combined with targeted in-situ measurements to evaluate chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) variability as an indicator of eutrophication and ecological pressure.
Two river sections, located upstream and downstream of the wastewater treatment plant, were analysed to assess spatial and temporal differences in Chl-a concentrations. Optical remote sensing data from Sentinel-2 and PlanetScope satellites were integrated with field measurements collected during the summer of 2024. The analysis revealed variable Chl-a concentrations over time, with elevated values downstream of the treatment plant during several sampling periods, indicating a potential influence of treated effluent on eutrophication dynamics.
Statistical analysis showed positive correlations between satellite-derived reflectance and in-situ Chl-a concentrations. For Sentinel-2, the strongest relationships were observed in the red (Band 4) and red-edge (Band 5) bands using Level-2A (bottom-of-atmosphere) data, with the highest Pearson correlation coefficient (r = 0.6) obtained for the red band. These bands (Bands 4 and 5) and data products (Level-2A) were therefore selected for further analysis. Likewise, moderate correlations were also identified using PlanetScope data, particularly in the red and red-edge bands. Although weaker than those obtained from Sentinel-2, these results highlight the potential of high-resolution satellite data, with a spatial resolution of approximately 3 m and near-daily revisit frequency, for monitoring small inland waters. Data at this resolution with improved temporal coverage are particularly valuable where spatial detail is critical and where limited clear-sky conditions constrain data availability.
Empirical models were developed to estimate Chl-a concentrations based on satellite reflectance, demonstrating the value of Earth observation as a complementary tool to conventional monitoring, particularly as an early-warning service in contexts where dense in situ networks are not feasible. By enabling more consistent and spatially extensive monitoring, remote sensing approaches such as those presented here offer a more affordable and scalable alternative to conventional, labor-intensive in-situ sampling. This is particularly important for small inland waters, where consistent long-term monitoring is required to capture spatial heterogeneity and short-term variability relevant for management decisions. In addition, the spatially continuous nature of satellite observations supports reproducible and comparable assessments of water quality dynamics across time and locations, reducing reliance on sparse point-based measurements.
How to cite: GhorashiNejad, S., Nogueira, R., and Haghshenas Haghighi, M.: Remote sensing–based assessment of water quality in small inland waters as a scalable tool for equitable and multisectoral water management, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-8934, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-8934, 2026.
This study evaluates how Living Labs, as participatory co-design platforms, can improve groundwater governance in Mediterranean regions where tourism and agriculture compete for water resources. By engaging multi-sector stakeholders in structured, participatory processes, it examines how social learning, trust building, and knowledge co-production can support adaptive, equitable, and context-specific water management solutions.
Across two case study areas in Crete, the Living Lab (LL) process combined participatory workshops and in-depth stakeholder interviews to support inclusive, knowledge-based groundwater governance. The Malia workshop (July 2021) brought together 55 stakeholders from local and regional authorities, water agencies, NGOs, civil society, technical experts, and researchers to introduce the project, present the hydrological and geographical context, and identify local water management needs and roles. Ice-breaking activities, roundtable discussions, Mentimeter surveys, and interactive mapping enabled participants to collaboratively explore challenges and perspectives.
In Agia, the Living Lab process developed through three workshop stages. The first workshop (in March 2024), attended by 47 stakeholders, used a flexible, discussion-driven format with participatory mapping and cooperation exercises to capture sectoral perspectives on water storage and distribution and to embedding corporate stakeholder knowledge into water- management simulation models. A focused technical Living Lab (in March 2025) brought together water- utility experts and researchers to examine groundwater and water- allocation models (PTC and WEAP), address data gaps and irrigation pressures, and initiate data- sharing and model refinement. The third multi-stakeholder workshop (December 2025), involving 16 representatives from agriculture, authorities, and utilities, and science, expanded the process to include governance and equity issues through SWOT analysis, spatial and collaboration mapping, and hands-on decision-making activities. These activities led to stably prioritized, co-designed solutions such as wastewater reuse, rainwater harvesting, improved monitoring, and farmer training. The Living Lab process was further supported by 28 semi-structured interviews (14 per site), which captured detailed insights on groundwater use, governance, infrastructure, climate change, and future needs. The integration of one-to-one interviews helped reveal conflicts within sectors or among stakeholder categories, fostering inclusion and setting the stage for open dialogue sessions during group workshops.
Together, workshops and interviews created a layered participatory framework that links local knowledge, institutional capacity, and scientific modeling. Overall, the findings show that Living Labs create dynamic social learning environments that strengthen stakeholder engagement and collaboration, integrate diverse knowledge sources, and support more transparent and adaptive decision-making for integrated multi-sectoral water management. This approach offers a novel, transferable framework for sustainable water governance in Mediterranean regions facing competing water demands and climate pressures.
This work was supported by OurMED PRIMA Program project funded by the European Union’s
Horizon 2020 research and innovation under grant agreement No. 2222.
How to cite: Anyfanti, I., Vozinaki, I., Korobchenko, Y., Varouchakis, E., and Karatzas, G.: Co-Designing Groundwater Governance in Mediterranean Tourism–Agriculture Systems: Evidence from Living Labs in Crete, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-17864, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-17864, 2026.
Rivers are key conduits of plastic debris from land to sea, with transport often amplified during rainfall-driven high-flow events While large rivers can sometimes be monitored from space, narrow rivers and small basins—such as the Sarno River—require high-resolution, in situ approaches capable of resolving rapid, event-scale dynamics.
This study consists of two main parts: 1) long-term, fixed-site monitoring, and 2) dense citizen-science observations to characterize river plastic transport under contrasting flow conditions. A low-cost RGB camera system was installed at a representative Sarno cross-section and operated continuously for one year (November 2023–October 2024), acquiring time-lapse imagery at 15 s intervals. Hydrometeorological forcing was reconstructed using ERA5-Land precipitation (hourly to monthly products) over the upstream and downstream portions of the basin to identify and contextualize low- and high-flow periods. Plastic items were detected and counted from the imagery using a YOLO-based model trained with a self-/weakly supervised strategy, implemented in two configurations: a single-class detector (plastic vs. background) and a multi-class detector (13 classes) to better differentiate plastic categories and support source/process interpretation. Analyses were performed on dates with complete camera data, spanning both low-flow conditions and rainfall-driven events.
To complement the fixed-site record and capture network-scale variability during anticipated high-rainfall events, we deployed the RiverWatch app to collect geotagged images of plastic presence across multiple locations along the Sarno river network. By coupling continuous, cross-section-scale detection with event-focused, spatially distributed citizen observations, this work demonstrates a scalable pathway to quantify plastic transport dynamics in small rivers and to support monitoring strategies that are inclusive, low-cost, and transferable.
Keywords: riverine plastic, image-based monitoring, YOLO, long-term monitoring, citizen science, Sarno River
How to cite: Saddi, K. C., Miglino, D., Moe, A. C., Proietti, G., Biscarini, C., Tauro, F., Poggi, M., and Manfreda, S.: Revealing River Plastic Transport under different flow conditions: Long-term camera monitoring and Citizen Science in the Sarno River (Southern Italy), EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-18438, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-18438, 2026.
In recent years, the Bode River Basin has experienced prolonged droughts accompanied by widespread forest dieback, intensifying trade-offs between ecosystem protection, agricultural production, and drinking water supply. The Bode basin represents one of the best-monitored meso-scale catchments in Europe, offering a unique opportunity to develop more comprehensive and evidence-based decision-making capabilities. This study leverages this data-rich environment, advanced modelling approaches, and accumulated knowledge on ecological boundaries to develop and demonstrate an integrated digital twin platform as a next-generation decision support framework. The framework is explicitly co-designed to support equitable and multisectoral water allocation among multiple stakeholders under changing hydrological conditions.
The Bode Digital Twin Platform integrates advanced process-based modelling, and data-driven methods within a unified digital architecture. The platform assimilates more than 15 years of high-frequency water quality observations (part of TERENO Observatory), together with meteorological forcing from the German Weather Service (DWD) and hydrological data from the regional flood protection agency (LHW). Furthermore, the platform integrates state-of-the-art modelling capabilities, by coupling fully distributed hydrological and water quality modelling (mHM-Nitrate) with groundwater level simulations (MODFLOW) and machine-learning-based ecological modules. To this end, water temperature and dissolved oxygen concentrations were predicted with high accuracy using a random forest algorithm (R2= 0.93 and 0.75, respectively). This hybrid framework allows, for the first time in the Bode Basin, a consistent cross-scale representation of surface water, groundwater, and key ecosystem indicators. These components are complemented by short-term forecasting modules that support proactive management by anticipating hydrological extremes and water quality risks. A fully automated data ingestion pipeline, based on advanced application programming interfaces (APIs), enables continuous updates and near real-time system operation. This design ensures transparency, transferability, and adaptability to diverse governance contexts and stakeholder needs. We argue that this approach offers a replicable pathway towards more equitable, climate-resilient water governance and long-term water security.
Acknowledgment: This work was supported by the OurMED PRIMA Program project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation under grant agreement No. 2222.
How to cite: Rouhani, A., Rode, M., and Jomaa, S.: Next-Generation Decision Support System for Equitable River Basin Water Management, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-11219, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-11219, 2026.
Water security in semi-arid, transboundary regions like the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin in northern Namibia is increasingly threatened by climate variability, population growth, and rising multi-sectoral water demands. Despite the basin’s critical hydrological and socio-economic importance, it lacks integrated modelling frameworks to support evidence-based planning and equitable water allocation. This study addresses this gap by developing a Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP)-based model to assess current and future water availability at sub-seasonal and seasonal timeframes, incorporating gender-responsive and stakeholder-informed scenarios. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, the research combines quantitative hydrological modelling with participatory engagement to ensure contextual relevance and legitimacy. Quantitative inputs include climate data, canal infrastructure, and sector-specific water use, while qualitative methods capture gender-differentiated water needs and planning priorities.
The findings aim to inform adaptive water allocation, infrastructure development, and drought/flood mitigation strategies for Namibia’s national water planning priorities. Specifically, the WEAP-based model is designed to support basin-scale decision-making by enabling sustainable allocation, strengthening climate-resilient planning, and fostering gender-inclusive water management. At a broader scale, the study contributes to the “Co-Design of Hydrometeorological Information System for Sustainable Water Resources Management in Southern Africa” (Co-HYDIM-SA), a research initiative under the Water Security in Southern Africa (WASA) programme. By generating actionable hydrometeorological intelligence, the model provides a foundational planning tool that feeds into the regional decision-support system aimed at enhancing resilience to climate extremes across Southern Africa.
Keywords: Cuvelai-Etosha Basin, WEAP modelling, Water security, IWRM, Climate resilience
How to cite: Kandjinga, T. and Bharati, L.: Assessment of Current Water Use and Future Water Availability for Planning and Allocation in the Cuvelai-Etosha Basin, Namibia, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-1328, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-1328, 2026.
The Konya Closed Basin in central Türkiye is a semi-arid region of major agricultural significance and a prominent example of escalating challenges related to water scarcity and governance. Despite substantial groundwater potential and the presence of Türkiye’s largest freshwater lake, Lake Beyşehir, the basin has experienced overexploitation of its water resources. This crisis is primarily driven by the cultivation of water-intensive crops and the resulting increase in water demand. Since the 1990s, groundwater levels have declined by approximately 35 meters with recent acceleration leading to sinkhole formation, groundwater salinization, and higher irrigation costs. Besides, increasing water demand, together with limited surface water availability, has intensified pressures on Lake Beyşehir. Although lake water levels exhibit seasonal variation, a clear long-term declining trend is evident. To address these challenges, this study aims to improve understanding of the basin’s complex water management dynamics and to explore integrated policy options that can address water resources management, agricultural production, and ecosystem conservation. To this end, this research employs a dynamic simulation modeling approach that is developed in parallel with the participatory workshops. Three stakeholder workshops were organized to support successive stages of model development.
The first workshop focused on establishing a shared understanding of the challenges facing the basin and identifying the complex relationships among agricultural practices, water governance, and climate trends. The issues identified during this workshop formed the conceptual foundation of the model and informed the selection of key model indicators. The second workshop was designed as a structured visioning exercise intended to inform the development of model scenarios. Participants explored how alternative visions could be realized through concrete actions and interventions. These interventions addressed multiple leverage points, including education, policy, technology, infrastructure, governance, and behavioral change. The identified levers were subsequently used to define scenario parameters and to support the development of an interactive model interface. The third and final workshop focused on stakeholder exploration of the model through the interactive interface, enabling participants to engage with the model and assess the implications of different scenarios.
This study demonstrates that the water management challenges of the Konya Closed Basin cannot be addressed through individual, isolated solutions. Rather, these challenges are multi-layered, arising from interactions of agricultural practices, climatic and hydrological constraints, governance structures, and socio-economic dynamics, and therefore require integrated and coordinated approaches. In the Konya Closed Basin, this participatory approach facilitated the generation of useful insights while strengthening the foundations for integrated and adaptive water management.
Acknowledgement: This work was supported by OurMED PRIMA Program project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation under grant agreement No. 2222.
How to cite: Bal, E., Saysel, A. K., and Daloğlu Çetinkaya, İ.: Stakeholder-Driven Dynamic Systems Modeling for Managing the Water-Food-Ecosystems Nexus in the Konya Closed Basin, Türkiye, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-20459, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-20459, 2026.
Groundwater in semi-arid agricultural regions is increasingly threatened by the combined effects of climate variability and intensified anthropogenic water use. This study investigates groundwater abstraction dynamics and aquifer response in the Kalaa Khasba Plain (Northwestern Tunisia) using high-frequency groundwater level observations, complemented by climate indicators and Earth observation (EO) datasets. The study period (2019–2024) captured an ongoing prolonged drought and persistent groundwater depletion in the basin. A novel event-based segmentation of high-frequency groundwater-level data was applied to identify pumping and recovery cycles from pumping induced observation. The pumping segments were used to analyze abstraction behavior across diurnal, seasonal and inter-annual scales.
The results reveal that pumping is strongly seasonal, with peak activity in July-August, and exhibits a pronounced diurnal cycle characterized by shutdowns during evening electricity peak tariff hours. Groundwater levels show a clear long-term decline, and a strong negative relationship with pumping hours, confirming that abstraction is the dominant driver of groundwater depletion in this semi-arid setting. Aquifer transmissivity and storativity were estimated by fitting multi-cycle Theis solutions to the observed drawdown-recovery sequences. This demonstrates that high-frequency groundwater monitoring can capture operational pumping significantly well and can function as a “passive” pumping test while still yielding realistic aquifer parameters, even though some non-uniqueness remains. Integration with EO data further clarifies the links between hydrological conditions and pumping behavior. ERA5-Land soil moisture exhibits robust seasonal cycles and a moderate negative correlation with monthly abstraction, while Sentinel-2 NDVI/NDWI reveal shifts in cropping and irrigation practices and lagged vegetation responses to pumping.
Overall, the study shows that high-frequency groundwater monitoring, when combined with EO, climate indicators and model results, provides a powerful and cost-effective diagnostic framework for understanding groundwater-agriculture interactions in data-scarce, semi-arid regions. The findings highlight the need for improved monitoring, better integration of ground- and satellite-based data with modeling outputs, and targeted management strategies to mitigate long-term groundwater depletion under increasing climatic and anthropogenic pressures.
Acknowledgment: This work was supported by the OurMED PRIMA Program project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation under grant agreement No. 2222, and by the project SMART Medjerda: Capacity building in monitoring for intelligent management of the Medjerda water resources, funded through the program of Wallonia Brussels International and Tunisia under grant No. 1.1.2.
How to cite: Debnath, A., Fink, M., khlifi, S., Lourenço, P., Gómez-Hernández, J. J., Copty, N. K., and Jomaa, S.: Integrating High-Frequency Monitoring and Earth Observation for Characterizing Groundwater Dynamics in Northwestern Tunisia, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-11537, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-11537, 2026.
The Mediterranean region is highly vulnerable to climate change, with increasing pressures on already limited water resources. Reliable and high-resolution climate projections are therefore essential to inform adaptation and mitigation strategies and to support integrated water resources management. Within the framework of the OurMED project (https://www.ourmed.eu), this study contributes to these objectives by providing long-term climate projections at both Mediterranean-wide and local scales.
The study presents projections of precipitation and temperature extending to the end of the 21st century, based on simulations from five CMIP6 General Circulation Models under two contrasting Shared Socioeconomic Pathways: SSP1-2.6 and SSP3-7.0. Due to the current lack of CMIP6-driven regional climate simulations covering the Mediterranean basin, a dedicated dataset obtained through statistically downscaling is employed. This dataset is developed using a hybrid framework that combines convolutional neural networks with quantile delta mapping and spans an extended Mediterranean region. The resulting Mediterranean-scale projections are subsequently downscaled using quantile delta mapping to the eight OurMED demo-sites, which represent diverse climatic and socio-environmental conditions across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.
At the Mediterranean scale, the projections indicate a clear and spatially coherent warming signal throughout the century, with magnitude strongly dependent on the emissions pathway. Under SSP3-7.0, mean annual temperatures increase steadily across the basin, with end-of-century anomalies frequently exceeding 4°C in southern and eastern Mediterranean regions. In contrast, under SSP1-2.6, warming is substantially reduced and tends to stabilize after mid-century. These large-scale patterns are consistently reflected at the demo-site level. Under SSP3-7.0, all sites experience pronounced warming, with the strongest increases—on the order of 4–6°C by the end of the century—projected for southern and eastern Mediterranean sites such as Mujib (Jordan), Medjerda (Tunisia), and Sebou (Morocco). Central Mediterranean sites, including Albufera (Spain), Arborea (Italy), and Konya (Turkey), also show substantial warming, while northern sites such as Bode (Germany) and Agia (Greece) exhibit comparatively smaller temperature increases. Under SSP1-2.6, warming is consistently lower across all sites and generally levels off after mid-century.
Precipitation projections exhibit greater spatial heterogeneity and inter-model variability than temperature. At the Mediterranean scale, northern regions show relatively stable annual precipitation, whereas large parts of the central, southern, and eastern Mediterranean display a tendency toward drying, particularly under SSP3-7.0. This signal is reflected at the demo-sites, where northern and more humid locations, especially Bode (Germany), show limited changes, while most southern and eastern Mediterranean sites—including Albufera (Spain), Arborea (Italy), Medjerda (Tunisia), Sebou (Morocco), and Mujib (Jordan)—experience decreasing annual precipitation, exacerbating water scarcity risks.
In addition to changes in mean climate conditions, a set of ETCCDI climate extreme indices is computed at the demo-site level to assess projected changes in temperature and precipitation extremes. Combined with seasonal analysis, these indicators provide a more comprehensive assessment of future hydroclimatic risks and support informed water resources management across the diverse environments represented by the OurMED demo-sites.
This work was supported by OurMED PRIMA Program project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation under grant agreement No. 2222.
How to cite: Secci, D., Todaro, V., D'Oria, M., and Tanda, M. G.: Downscaled CMIP6 climate projections for Mediterranean water management, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-17052, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-17052, 2026.
Coastal aquifers, such as the Grombalia aquifer in northeastern Tunisia, represent strategic freshwater resources that are increasingly stressed by intensive groundwater abstraction and climate change. These combined pressures exacerbate groundwater level decline and can accelerate saltwater intrusion, posing a serious threat to long-term sustainability of the aquifer. A comprehensive assessment of both piezometric evolution and salinity dynamics is therefore essential to support effective groundwater management. This study investigates the current state and future evolution of groundwater levels and salinity in the Grombalia coastal aquifer using a three-dimensional, variable-density numerical modeling framework. A SEAWAT model, coupling MODFLOW for groundwater flow with MT3DMS for solute transport, was developed to simulate freshwater–saltwater interactions. The model was calibrated against observed piezometric heads to ensure an accurate representation of groundwater flow dynamics, after which salinity distributions and freshwater–saltwater intrusion processes were analyzed. A 20-year transient simulation was first performed to reproduce historical groundwater level fluctuations and saltwater intrusion patterns, providing a robust baseline for future assessments. Then, scenario-based simulations extending to 2095 were carried out by forcing the groundwater model with climate change–driven recharge projections obtained from an ensemble of regional climate models (RCMs). Prior to their use, these projections were bias-corrected using local observational data to enhance their reliability at the aquifer scale. The simulation results reveal that climate change exerts a stronger influence on groundwater level decline than on the direct advancement of saltwater intrusion. Projected reductions in recharge under future climate scenarios lead to a substantial lowering of piezometric heads, which in turn indirectly promotes the inland migration of the saltwater wedge and increases chloride concentrations in key pumping wells. These findings highlight the critical role of recharge variability in controlling both groundwater availability and salinization processes in coastal aquifers.
This work was supported by the PRIMA programme under grant agreement No. 1923, project Innovative and Sustainable Groundwater Management in the Mediterranean (InTheMED). The PRIMA programme is supported by the European Union.
How to cite: Tanda, M. G., Secci, D., Todaro, V., D'Oria, M., and Pettenati, I.: Groundwater depletion and saltwater intrusion under climate change, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-20064, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-20064, 2026.
This study examined the institutional and policy framework governing water service delivery in urban Ghana. Through qualitative data analysis, 23 key informants’ interviews from both governmental and non-governmental stakeholders were analysed. Four central themes emerged: mandates and operations, institutional progress, challenges faced, and coping strategies employed by key stakeholders. While some degree of institutional progress was identified, so were overlapping mandates among key utilities, highlighting uncertainty and inefficiency in responsibilities. Several critical challenges in the water sector were highlighted, including inadequate collaboration among stakeholders, environmental threats (e.g., water pollution), political interference, and financial constraints. These factors hinder progress towards achieving sustainable water services. Additionally, the non-payment of water tariffs by some complicates operational activities, underscoring the need for community sensitization initiatives. However, there are opportunities for improved water management through collaborative partnerships among government bodies, non-governmental organizations, and local communities. For example, the Water Research Institute plays a vital role by providing essential data and research insights that inform policies aimed at sustainable water resource management. We advocate for innovative approaches, such as decentralizing water supply systems and investing in efficient resource management strategies, to better serve communities. We also emphasize the importance of enhancing civic education to foster public accountability and engagement. By addressing institutional and socio-cultural factors, we underscore the necessity for comprehensive reforms that position water as a shared common good, highlighting collaborative governance as a pathway to improve access and ensure sustainability in alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 6.
How to cite: Tetteh, J. D., Agyei-Mensah, S., Owusu, G., Yidana, S. M., Templeton, M. R., Gyimah, F. T., and Howard, B. C.: An Evaluation of the Institutional and Policy Framework in Ghana's Urban Water Sector, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-865, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-865, 2026.
More than half of the world's population lives in cities, and 1.12 billion inhabit informal settlements. In Sub-Saharan Africa, one of the regions most exposed to climate change, rapid urbanisation has resulted in 53% of the urban population living in informal settlements, according to UN-Habitat. In these contexts, insecure land tenure, non-compliance with building and spatial planning regulations, and limited access to improved water and sanitation services exacerbate climate-related risks.
This is the case of the Macuti neighbourhood, hosting approximately 17’000 residents (2017) over 220 hectares in the coastal city of Beira, central Mozambique. Between 2022 and 2025, Macuti benefited from the MUDAR project, an EU co-funded initiative for local authorities on capacity building and urban upgrading.
The University of Trento, as part of a broader project partnership comprising public authorities, NGO, and educational institutions, carried out a context assessment aimed at identifying priority urban resilience interventions and studying their impacts once implemented.
A multidisciplinary methodology combining more than 800 questionnaires and 200 interviews with residents and stakeholders, in-situ measurements, the collection of existing cartographic information, and satellite imagery helped overcome data availability constraints. The outcomes of this analysis, together with a structured participatory process involving municipal authorities, technicians, and local communities, informed the design of tailored, modular and replicable small-scale interventions, namely a street, a recreational area and two retention ponds for flood mitigation, embedded within a broader neighbourhood-scale urban planning framework.
Preliminary results assessing the impacts of the interventions show tangible changes both on the physical fabric of Macuti and the everyday conditions experienced by residents, consistent with an urban upgrading approach. Social surveys, carried out before and after the MUDAR’s intervention and subsequently compared, show a marked improvement in perceived road conditions, with negative ratings (bad or very bad) decreasing from 78% in 2024 to 1.6% in 2025, while 83% of respondents now rate the road as good or very good. The street also enabled the implementation of a waste collection system serving 81% of Macuti’s inhabitants weekly. Moreover, two-dimensional hydrological-hydraulic modelling performed with HEC-RAS indicates good performance of the two ponds in collecting runoff from the densely inhabited lower-lying surroundings and in conveying it to the existing free-flowing channels, even under tidal constraints. However, it clearly appears that to fully understand the impacts of such a project further and transversal investigation is needed. In this sense, a comprehensive approach able to detect intervention’s multifunctionality, valuation, spatial and temporal relevance and the equity implications is crucial.
The present study contributes to the session discussion by presenting an applied case study of urban water management that integrates participatory processes and multi-stakeholder collaboration. It concludes by highlighting the importance of a comprehensive approach to support the development of context-based impact assessment frameworks, informing more adaptive and sustainable water management and urban policies worldwide.
How to cite: Ottaviani, S., Framba, D., Alberto Munguita Paulino, W., Marzadri, A., Geneletti, D., and Zolezzi, G.: Designing and assessing water management intervention in informal settlements: an international cooperation project in Beira, Mozambique, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-10154, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-10154, 2026.
Project WATDEV – Climate Smart WATer Management and Sustainable DEVelopment for Food and Agriculture in East Africa (https://www.watdev.eu/) – is an EU-funded partnership between African and European institutions, aiming to enhance sustainability of agricultural water management and resilience of agro ecosystems to climate change in East Africa. The project aims to improve the knowledge on agricultural water management of National Ministries and Research Institutions, and help farmers and local actors, cooperatives and Water User Associations implement innovative/sustainable solutions and improve skills on water management.
The project developed and applied an eco-hydrological model to four irrigation case studies in Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan. This model was used to simulate the impact of Best Management Practices (BMPs), selected and co-developed with local water managers and farmers, on environmental indicators such as crop yield, water demands and nutrient use. Economic indicators (e.g. return on investment) were also calculated over the model results. The BMP impacts were then presented to stakeholders both to validate results and to help them in defining an implementation protocol to be transferred to farmers outside the case study areas.
In general, most stakeholders selected BMPs falling in one of three broad categories:
- changes in cultivation practices, related with new crops, crop rotations, or improved fertilization;
- agroforestry, related with planting permanent crops alongside annual crops and using trees for erosion control;
- water management, related with increasing water availability and water use efficiency through improvements in the irrigation system and/or the adoption of water saving practices.
However, the details of each BMP were very different between sites, indicating a strong desire for customization.
Preliminary results indicate that the impacts of BMPs strongly depend on the local contexts, driven by the need to address the prevailing bio-physical and socio-economic challenges. In Egypt and Kenya, the selected BMPs are not expected to increase yield, since crops usually have sufficient water and nutrients. They are, however, expected to provide more reliable water access, decrease fertilization costs and diversify crops. In Ethiopia and Sudan, however, the selected BMPs did lead to increases in yield and water use efficiency through a better adaptation of crops and practices to local climate conditions.
How to cite: Nunes, J. P., Barsi, M., Gomaa, S., Melese, M., Sawassi, A., Odeke, M., Baartman, J., Bogliotti, C., Ladisa, G., and Fleskens, L.: Supporting agricultural irrigation management in East Africa using eco-hydrological modelling: the WATDEV project, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-19602, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-19602, 2026.
Posters virtual: Fri, 8 May, 14:00–18:00 | vPoster spot A
EGU26-18956 | Posters virtual | VPS11
Assessing Groundwater Storage Changes in Data-Scarce Basins of Afghanistan: A Machine-Learning Based Downscaling of GRACE(-FO) DataFri, 08 May, 14:21–14:24 (CEST) vPoster spot A
Climate change, rising water demand, and ecosystem stress are intensifying the reliance on groundwater while limiting the capacity of many basins to effectively monitor and manage subsurface water resources. In data-scarce and conflict-affected regions where monitoring networks are sparse, decision-makers increasingly require reliable, high-resolution information to support drought preparedness, climate adaptation, and sustainable groundwater governance. The present study proposes an evidence-based machine-learning framework for the purpose of enhancing the monitoring of groundwater storage anomaly (GWSA) through the process of downscaling GRACE and GRACE-FO observations from ~3° to 0.1°. The reconstruction of monthly GRACE/GRACE-FO gaps was performed using a Seasonal-Trend Decomposition based on Loess (STL), and a Random Forest model was trained with hydroclimatic and land-surface predictors, including soil moisture, snow water equivalent, evapotranspiration, precipitation, land-surface temperature, and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). The performance of the model was evaluated by comparing the model's results with the existing in-situ groundwater-level observations in the Kabul River Basin. The results indicate that satellite-inferred groundwater losses in Afghanistan are persistent, with a rate of −0.71 cm yr-1, ranging from basin-scale depletion of −0.77 cm yr-1 in the Helmand River Basin to −0.40 cm yr-1 in the Northern River Basin. Recent conditions indicate intensified depletion during 2018–2022, with year-sum GWSA declines reaching ~145 cm in the Harirod–Murghab River Basin, while the Northern River Basin shows comparatively lower losses (~80 cm). The 0.1° downscaled product improves agreement with observations (root mean square error (RMSE) reductions up to 77.8%) and reveals spatially heterogeneous hotspots that are not detectable at coarse GRACE resolution. Generally, the proposed framework translates coarse satellite gravimetry into actionable, basin-relevant information for climate-resilient groundwater management, while underscoring the necessity for uncertainty-aware, multi-source monitoring under increasing hydroclimatic extremes. The approach enables the early detection of emerging depletion hotspots, thereby supporting proactive planning for future water security. This includes targeted demand management, drought response, and adaptation investments in groundwater-dependent regions.
How to cite: Azizi, A. H., Akhtar, F., Borgemeister, C., and Tischbein, B.: Assessing Groundwater Storage Changes in Data-Scarce Basins of Afghanistan: A Machine-Learning Based Downscaling of GRACE(-FO) Data, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-18956, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-18956, 2026.
