HRG conducts Mexico City Stakeholder Workshop

The World Bank, with the support from Fundacion Kaluz and the Mexico City Water Fund, hosted the first Mexico City stakeholder workshop for the Resilience by Design project in the Valley of Mexico in late March 2018.  The Hydrosystems Research Group along with partners from the University of Cincinnati presented the “Freshwater Resilience by Design” approach and helped to facilitate dialog related to the process with a group of approximately 50 stakeholders from varied institutions, including NGOs, academia, government and private sector.

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HRG members host working session with Tanzanian representatives

Two members of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation from Tanzania journeyed to Amherst from March 15 through March 22nd to work with HRG members to advance the ongoing Freshwater Resilience by Design work ongoing.  David Munkyala (Rufiji Basin Water Board) and Rosemary Masikini (Wami-Ruvu Basin Water Board) spent a week in Amherst to work with Alec Bernstein, Mariam Allam, Chinedum Eluwa, and Jonathan Lala and gain insight into detailed modeling efforts. Continue reading

HRG conducts successful stakeholder workshops in Tanzania

The Hydrosystems Research Group traveled to Tanzania to conduct stakeholder workshops in the Rufiji and Wami-Ruvu basins to advance the ongoing Freshwater Resilience by Design work in the country.  The mission team consisted of Alec Bernstein and Jonathan Lala (consultant) and a World Bank team of DC and Dar es Salaam based Water Resources Management Specialists.  The mission team worked closely with the Ministry of Water and Irrigation (MOWI) and Rufiji and Wami-Ruvu Basin Water Boards (BWBs) to arrange logistics and convene stakeholders for these meetings.  The project mission commenced on Thursday January 18th in Dodoma, the capital of Tanzania in the Wami-Ruvu basin, continued to Iringa in the Rufiji Basin, and concluded in Dar es Salaam on January 24th. Continue reading

Taking a tour of resilient infrastructure in New Orleans

Submitted by Katherine Schlef, PhD student in the Hydrosystems Research Group

This year, after being held for nearly 50 years in San Francisco, the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting was held New Orleans. This change gave me the unique opportunity to participate in a field trip, organized by AGU and led by Nathan Lott of the Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans, to look at new infrastructure that is part of the city’s goal to increase resilience to hurricanes after the devastation of Katrina in 2005. Continue reading

Hydrosystems Group attends 2017 AGU Fall Meeting

Ten members of the Hydrosystems Research Group attended the 2017 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting held December 11-15 in New Orleans.

HRG at AGU 2017

Hydrosystems Research Group members at AGU 2017 (from L to R: Hassaan Khan, Baptiste Francois, M. Umit Taner, David Rheinheimer, Katherine Schlef, Mariam Allam, Sungwook Wi, Sarah Freeman, Faranak Bedhazi (U. of Cincinnati), Chinedum Eluwa, and Casey Brown).

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HRG presents at Hydrologic Risk in Hydropower Dominated Energy Systems Workshop in London

Alec Bernstein attended a workshop convened by the International Hydropower Conference, the World Bank, and the Nordic Development Bank on Hydrologic Risk in Hydropower Dominated Energy Systems in London, UK on November 30th  through December 1st.  The workshop’s geographic focus was Africa and the main objectives of this training were: (i) to present and discuss the best practices and the new trends internationally adopted in the management of the hydrologic risk in hydropower generation and (ii) inform the representatives from the African countries, potentially exposed, about the suitable mitigation measures and the available hedging mechanisms. Continue reading

Implementing Freshwater Resilience by Design in Tanzanian River Basins – Scoping Mission

The Hydrosystems Research Group has entered a partnership with the World Bank (WB) and the Government of Tanzania to demonstrate freshwater resilience principles in multiple river basins in Tanzania.  Group members Casey Brown and Alec Bernstein participated in a World Bank scoping mission from 19 September, 2017 through 27 September, 2017 to lay the framework and connect with partners in country. Continue reading

Hydrosystems Group conducts IJC Climate Change workshop

Hydrosystems Research Group members Casey Brown and Alec Bernstein held a workshop during the International Joint Commissions’ Annual Board Meeting in Washington D.C. on May 3rd.  The goal of the meeting was to present the Climate Change Guidance Framework developed by the HRG and to conduct a Global Cafe with Board members to solicit feedback on implementing the Guidance Framework. Continue reading