November 2021  |  News and latest updates

Progress on the IWRM Database and IWRM Model (LVB-WIS)

The Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) database and IWRM model has been renamed as the Lake Victoria Basin Water Information System or LVB-WIS. The first step in establishing the LVB-WIS is to build and implement the Database Platform.

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To understand the requirements of the five Partner States in the Basin (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi) regarding the LVB-WIS, online consultation meetings with the five National Technical Teams took place successfully last year. One clear wish of the Partner States was to include the Nile Basin Decision Support System (NB DSS) in the LVB-WIS.

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On 23 October 2020, the Executive Secretary of LVBC and the Executive Director of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) held bilateral discussions and agreed to deepen cooperation, based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two institutions which was already signed in 2006 (see news item online). The joint use of the NB DSS as a major part of the LVB-WIS database platform was agreed, with technical details discussed at NileSEC in Entebbe on November 16 and 17 2020 (see online news item).

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On February 17, 2021, the LVBC management endorsed the recommended ‘hybrid’ approach where the NB DSS and DelftFEWS are integrated to form the LVB-WIS database platform. The requirements of the Partner States as per the consultation as well as the needs of LVBC are met with this approach.

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In follow-up discussions the hybrid approach was also endorsed by the NBI. An agreement covering the cooperation between NBI and LVBC, based on the existing MoU between NBI and EAC, is being prepared for signing. This agreement covers the cooperation on the LVB-WIS, but also data exchange and sharing of technical expertise.

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Work on models is being planned to start in 2022. An adjusted approach for model selection, procurement and implementation will be prepared in 2022, focusing on functionality missing from the NB DSS (mostly for water quality modelling) and on improvements in the detailing of model schematizations now available in the NB DSS.