Quarterly Report: PY2019-20, Q4

The basin is home to 18 million people living in both rural and urban areas, with industries such as agriculture, mining, and urban businesses contributing to the region's economic growth. The basin also contains some of the most biodiverse natural areas on the planet. Rainfall in the basin is heterogeneous, with some sub-basins receiving less than 400 mm annually and others receiving over 750 mm. The basin has experienced severe droughts in the last decade, and the timing of the growing season has varied significantly. However, there is limited confidence in rainfall data and other water measurements due to infrequent calibration and validation of field site measurements. This necessitates an integrated approach to improve data collection, validation, and overall basin water resource management. The goal of this project is to build resilience through the support of basin stakeholders, including The Limpopo Watercourse Commission (LIMCOM), to improve governance around water resources management and water security in the basin. A systems approach, such as integrated water resources management (IWRM), is needed to address the complex, large, and interrelated components of water resources. IWRM is recommended by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Water and Development Strategy Implementation Guide (2014). The project will support water resources monitoring, and the development of methods for water quality and quantity measurement based on in situ sensors and satellite measurements. These measurements will enable characterization of water resource dynamics at the whole basin scale and form the foundation for hydrologic modeling that can help estimate hard-to-measure parameters and provide holistic assessments of basin-scale stocks and flows. To support data sharing, the project will use cloud-based, automated data collection and web-based data sharing. The project will also provide training, workshops, and conferences focused on integrated water resources management (IWRM) and environmental flow analysis. The results of the water resources and biodiversity studies conducted will be compiled into a report for the basin stakeholders. Continued high-quality data collection, training, and general logistics depend on dependable physical infrastructure. To support data collection efforts as well as training and collaboration, the Limpopo Resilience Lab at the University of Venda will be established. The project has made progress in the second quarter of 2021, with student research continuing under the supervision of the PIs. Water resources monitoring will continue with remote sensing (satellites) and ground-based stations equipped with telemetry devices. However, not all instruments are compatible with telemetry or placed in an area with available communications, resulting in lost data from those instruments. A successful training program on data handling with R and RStudio was hosted in March 2021, with 25 participants. The South African Department of Water and Sanitation requested that the course be offered again to their hydrologists, which is currently planned for August 2021. Planning continues for the final stakeholder workshop, which will begin with agency/organization meetings in August and culminate in a workshop in January to present the project report and the range of tools developed from the research. The project also plans to support networking between basin scientists and the global academic community by sponsoring side events and presentations at the Water and Health Conference at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Gabriella Zuccolotto has joined the project team, working on water resources in the Xai-Xai area and potential causes of flooding and seawater inundation. The project has continued to monitor data from stations established in the project, with data now available through the project website and hosted on the Development Data Library. Data from telemetry sites were updated this quarter. Research staff has continued to obtain data from Planet Labs satellites for discharge research for several sites in South Africa and one site in the United States for contrast.