The Value of Long-term Streamflow Forecasts in Adaptive Reservoir Operation: The case of High Aswan Dam in the Transboundary Nile River Basin

MAY 19, 2021 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PT

The fifth and last in the Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) webinars, this webinar will focus on transboundary river basins that are experiencing extensive dam development that imposes challenges to future water management, especially for downstream nations. A timely case is the upstream development in the Nile River Basin where the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is being constructed. Therefore, adapting the operation of existing reservoirs to such challenges is indispensable to cope with potential alterations in flow regime along with pressure from growing population and increasing water demand. In my talk, I will introduce a Forecast-based Adaptive Reservoir Operation (namely FARO) framework, to evaluate the potential value of long-term monthly forecasts in improving real‐time operations of High Aswan Dam (HAD).

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  1. Recognize the challenges in transboundary basins, with focus on the case of the Nile River Basin.
  2. Identify the potential forecast value of long-term streamflow forecasts in adaptive reservoir operation.
  3. Demonstrate the application of Forecast-based Adaptive Reservoir Operation (FARO) framework to a real-time case in the transboundary Nile River Basin.

SPEAKER

Dr. Hisham Eldardiry
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Hisham is a postdoctoral research associate at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). Hisham earned his PhD degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Washington, Seattle in 2021. Hisham has a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Alexandria University (Egypt). The primary focus of Hisham’s research is geared towards finding sustainable solutions to the challenges facing the security of energy and water systems in transboundary basins. Hisham is highly interested in the future of the Nile river basin following the hydropower development by upstream nations, in particular the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The outcomes of Hisham’s research will potentially pave the way for sound cooperative agreements that can inspire a win-win deal and consider the equitable rights of development in the Nile countries.