SSAWRN Website
Updates on Network Activities, Publications and Conferences
Blog Entries about SSAWRN
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About SSAWRN
SSAWRN fits the RISE model by building on two existing networks - one that emphasizes research and another that promotes postgraduate education. It addresses the most pressing water issues of the region, including rising use, declining quality, insufficient research and teaching capacity, inadequate weather stations and the likelihood of increased variability of water supplies associated with future climates. The network assigns first priority to research projects that address practical issues and contribute to problem solving. Students are encouraged to share research experience with others and to participate in consultancy work. SSAWRN is working to develop a culture of multidisciplinary problem solving.

Leaders and their Institutions

	Academic Director and Secretariat Prof. Denis Hughes, Director, Institute for Water Research Rhodes University, South Africa
	Dr. Sukhmani Mantel, Secretariat Head, SSAWRN Rhodes University, South Africa
	Prof. Elonio Muiuane, Department of Geology Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique
	Prof. Wellington Masamba, Okavango Research Institute (ORI) University of Botswana
	Prof. Michael Ocaido, Department of Wildlife and Animal Resource Management Makerere University, Uganda

Blog Entries about SSAWRN
Mapping the Ground Water of Mozambique (4/13)
Why Are Hippos Dying of Anthrax? (1/13)
Developing Guidelines for Roundup in South Africa (1/13)
Using Insects to Measure Water Quality (1/13)
An Urgency to Understand the Okavango Delta (1/13)
Challenges of Modeling the Congo (1/13)
'RISE Was Like a Dream Come True' (11/10)
Annual Floods as a Key to Fertility (11/10)
Searching for the Source of the Okavango's Nutrients (11/10)
The Puzzle of the Precocious Southern Fishes (11/10)
Enduring the Shocks of a Stressful Environment (11/10)
RISE Students Are Among the First Postgraduates at Okavango Research Institute (ORI) (11/10)
A Long-Term Goal to Help Other Women (11/09)
Man vs. Amoeba (11/09)
The Dream of Preventing Disease and Reducing Suffering (11/09)
If Only I Had a Microscope (5/09)
And Then There's the Language Problem… (4/09)
Mozambican Student Leads His Country Towards Modern Water Management (4/09)

Updates on Network Activities, Publications and Conferences

May 2013: We would like to share the good news that Nqozibitha Siziba and Moseki Motsholapheko are both Drs now.  They passed their thesis defense successfully!

RISE graduate Sithabile Tirivarombo is thrilled to be at Duke through the end of May, when she will return to Chinhoyi University of Technology in Zimbabwe as a Senior Lecturer. SIG's Arlen Hastings and Lori Mulcare visited Sithabile at Duke on April 30th and met with heads of Duke's Africa Initiative. Sithabile will also be traveling to Princeton for two days in mid-May and will meet with Professors Kelly Caylor, Eric Wood and Justin Sheffield to discuss their mutual research interests.

Photo 1: Sithabile with Anna Alcaro from Duke University's Office of Global Strategy and Programs; Photo 2: Sithabile with Duke PostDoc Teddy Rangos from Ethiopia and Photo 3: Sithabile with RISE Administrators Lori Mulcare and Arlen Hastings.

April 2013: RISE PhD students received their degrees at the Rhodes University graduation ceremony.

RISE graduate Sithabile Tirivarombo arrived at Duke University on Saturday, April 13th for a two month research visit under Professor Erika Weinthal. Welcome, Sithabile!

March 2013:

Schalk Burger on "Rhodes researchers grappling with key environmental water challenges" in Creamer Media's Engineering News. March 1 2013.

At the Rhodes University graduation ceremony, Paul Mensah, Sithabile Tirivarombo and Irene Naigaga will be on stage.  We send them our heartiest congratulations!

From ORI:
• Gosaitse Tubatsi has finished her field work and has begun her thesis write up
• Kelebogile Mpho is working on corrections on her thesis and has submitted a paper for publishing, awaiting further corrections
• Krasposy Kujinga went to Australia on a fellowship award by ICeWaRM for a month (March)
• Bame Keabetswe is finalizing her proposal for submission and planning her field work
• Richard Mazebedi is continuing with data collection
• Moseki Motsholapheko is awaiting defense and has been offered a position as a research scholar at ORI.

February 2013: Gaolatlhe Tsheboeng passed his defense with flying colours! He will now need to make some corrections and he will be finished. He is the first MPhil student to graduate from the Okavango Research Institute (University of Botswana). Secondly, we have heard that the reviewer's reports on Irene Naigaga's thesis are now in and they are quite positive. So she should be also finishing in the near future.

January 2013: RISE SSAWRN Phd graduate Raphael Tshimanga has been appointed Deputy Head of the department (Natural Resources Management) in charge of research at the University of Kinshasa in DRC. Paul Mensah's thesis has been accepted and finalized, and he will be graduating in April this year.

December 2012: At Rhodes University, Paul Mensah is working on his changes recommended by the reviewers. Bolu Onabolu is still waiting for the reviewer's comments on her thesis. Jane Tanner is working hard to finish her thesis for submission hopefully by January or February 2013.

At ORI, Krasposy Kujinga has done further data collection and data entry. Gosaitse Tubatsi's data collection is ongoing as well data entry, cleaning and analysis. Gaolathe Tsheboeng has worked on comments on his thesis. Kelebogile Mpho has returned from Princeton where she was a student research collaborator and is continuing her thesis write up. Nqobizitha Siziba has submitted his final work and taken up a job in Zimbabwe; he is awaiting his defense. Moseki Motsholapheko has submitted his final thesis to supervisors and is awaiting his defense. Kondja Amutenya is continuing with his thesis write up. Richard Mazebedi is finalizing his thesis as a part time student. Bame Keabetswe has started her MPhil studies; data collection is ongoing.

November 2012: The majority of the current SSAWRN students attended and presented at the 13th WaterNet conference in Johannesburg.  Alan Anderson also joined us for the conference to interview the students.  We also held our network annual meeting during the conference with the node leaders in order to discuss future funding.

We would also like to share the good news that we have 2 degree completions -Sithabile Tirivarombo (PhD), Justine Ekou (MSc).  In addition, Moseki Motsholapheko (PhD) has submitted his final thesis and is awaiting his defense.  We extend our congratuations and best wishes to these students!

September 2012:

Siziba N., Chimbari M.J., Masundire H., Mosepele K.  Spatial variations of macroinvertebrates across different microhabitats of temporary floodplains of lower Okavango Delta, Botswana. African Journal of Ecology, Sept 2011.

We are happy to inform you that Sithabile and Bolu have both submitted their theses to Rhodes University.  We congratulate them both and wish them the best for the reviewers' reports.

August 2012: The RISE students will be presenting their research during our network annual meeting as part of the WaterNet Symposium in October in Pretoria, South Africa.  The student participants have all sent in their extended abstracts and we are now organizing their travel and accomodation.

The following is a detailed update for the students at ORI. We would like to congratulate Siziba for submitting his thesis and finding a job in Zimbabwe!

Krasposy Kujinga: He did further data collection and developed the symposium extended abstract which he sent to his supervisors for comments and has now submitted.

Gosaitse Tubatsi: Continued data collection and analysis. Registered for Waternet 2012 symposium and submitted extended abstract for the symposium.

Gaolathe Tsheboeng: Is working on the comments forwarded by the South African Journal of Aquatic Science.

Kelebogile Mpho: Is a visiting student research collaborator at Princeton University until November 2012.

Nqobizitha Siziba: Has submitted his final work and taken up a job in Zimbabwe.

Moseki Motsholapheko: Has completed the fifth of the six chapters for his thesis, awaiting comments from supervisors and started working on the final chapter.

Kondja Amutenya: Is continuing with his thesis write up.

Richard Mazebedi: Is finalizing his thesis as a part time student.

July 2012:   We are happy to report that Irene Naigaga and Paul Mensah have submitted their theses for the review process. We wish them the best with the final leg of the process.

June 2012:  

Kaburuku, Muhumuza Elias. Characterisation of water quality of River Rwizi (Mbarara municipality, South‐western Uganda) using biological indicators. Department of Environmental Management, Makerere University on 27 June 2012.

Kgathi, D.L., Mmopelwa, G., Mashabe, B. & K. Mosepele, 2012. Livestock predation, household adaptation and compensation policy: a case study of Shorobe Village in northern Botswana. Agrekon: Agricultural Economics Research, Policy and Practice in Southern Africa. Volume 51, Issue 2, 2012.

The SSAWRN students have submitted their abstracts to attend the WaterNet Conference in November.

May 2012:

Mensah, P.K., C.G. Palmer and W.J. Muller (May 2012) "Lipid peroxidation in the freshwater shrimp Caridina nilotica as a biomarker of Roundup® herbicide pollution of freshwater systems in South Africa." Water Science and Technology 65: 1660-1666.

Gosaitse Tubatsi, MPhil.
Submitted abstract for the 2012 WaterNet Symposium to be held in Johannsesburg, South Africa from 31 October – 02 November 2012. Attended the Water Quality Testing Methods and Procedures Training Course, Bahir Dar, Ethopia. The course was held from 16 – 22 April 2012.

Krasposy Kujinga
Commenced his fieldwork in Maun. The process started with the training of three research assistants in administering a structured household questionnaire. The questionnaire was pre-tested in Boseja, Matswane and Thito. Data collection started in Boyei towards the end of April.

Gaolatlhe Tsheboeng
Tsheboeng has submitted his thesis for examination. Internal examination has completed, now awaiting external examination. He plans to submit a paper from his thesis for publication.

Nqobizitha Siziba
Siziba is finalizing the draft of the thesis, to be submitted to Supervisors by end of May.

Moseki Motsholapheko
Data collection among public officers in Maun: the data were necessary for the completion of the fourth data chapter. The exercise is continuing and will hopefully end this week. Write-up of Chapter 1 (Introduction) of the thesis: this has been sent to supervisors for comments and he is now working on those comments to perfect it. Started write-up of Chapter 6 (Conclusion): this work is still continuing and will hopefully be substantiated after the completion of the forth data chapter.

Kelebogile Mpho
Drafting her thesis. Due to visit Princeton University on Visiting Student Research Collaborator program.

April 2012:

Kgathi, D.L., Mfundisi, K.B., Mmopelwa, G. and K.Mosepele, 2012. Potential impacts of biofuel development on food security in Botswana: A contribution to energy policy. Energy Policy 43, 70-79.

Tubase G. and Siziba N. Guidelines and legislative regulations of water quality in Botswana. 12 April 2012, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.

March 2012:  

Linhoss, A.C., Munoz-Carpena, R., Allen, M.S., Kiker, G, and K. Mosepele, 2012. A flood pulse driven fish population model for the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Ecological Modelling, 228 p. 27– 38.

Motsholapheko, M.R., Vanderpost, C. and D.L. Kgathi, 2012. Rural livelihoods and household adaptation to desiccation in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Journal of Water and Climate Change.  0, .4. p 300-316.

Neudeck, L., Avelino, L., Bareetseng, P., Ngwenya, B.N., Teketay, D. and M.R. Motsholapheko. The Contribution of Edible Wild Plants to Food Security, Dietary Diversity and Income of Households in Shorobe Village, Northern Botswana. Ethnobotany Research & Applications 10:449-462 (2012).

At Rhodes University, we have the good news that Raphael Tshimanga submitted his PhD thesis last week. We are hoping Sithabile Tirivarombo will be doing the same in the next month or so.

At ORI, students are progressing as follows:

Gosaitse Tubatsi, MPhil: Data collection started on the 28th February 2012.

Krasposy Kujinga: His proposal was accepted by his supervisors. He is now preparing for fieldwork. He has held preliminary discussions with the Department of Water Affairs and the North West District Council.

Richard Mazebedi: Mazebedi has taken up a job and is now a part time student. He is expected to continue with his project and still aims at completion within the project period.

Gaolatlhe Tsheboeng: Tsheboeng has submitted his thesis for examination.

Amutenya Kondja: Kondja has resumed his studies after taking care of personal issues at home in Namibia and is expected to submit his thesis end of April.

Nqobizitha Siziba: Siziba is finalizing the draft of the thesis to be submitted to his supervisors by the end of March.

Moseki Motsholapheko: He Is still writing his papers and dissertation and is expected to submit his thesis in May 2012.

Kelebogile Mpho: She is drafting her thesis.

Another Masters Student: An MPhil student will be recruited to take the place of R. Mazebedi. Although R. Mazebedi remains a RISE student, his upkeep is no longer the responsibility of the project

February 2012:   Three of the PhD students at Rhodes University are hoping to submit their theses in the next couple of months. They are all working really hard on those. Also, we are starting plans for the annual network meeting which will probably be combined with the WaterNet Conference from 31 Oct - 2 November in Johannesburg, South Africa.

December 2011:  

Erume, J. and M. Ocaido (2011) "Potential risks, consumer perceptions and preferences of shallow ground water in urban and rural areas of Uganda." Africa Journal of Animal and Biomedical Sciences 6: 51-58.

Ekou, J., J. Nakavuma, M. Ocaido and J. Erume (2012). "Prevalence of Entamoeba histolytica among hospital patients in Soroti, Eastern Uganda." African Journal of Animal and Biomedical Sciences 7: 81-85.

Odume N., Muller W.J., Arimoro F.O. and Palmer C.G. The Impact of water quality deterioration on macroinvertebrate communities in the Swartkops River, South Africa: a multimetric approach. African Journal of Aquatic Science 37(2): 191‐200.

Mensah, P.K., C.G. Palmer and W.J. Muller (2012) "Acetylcholinesterase activity in the freshwater shrimp Caridina nilotica (Decapoda: Atyidae) as a biomarker of the herbicide Roundup® pollution of freshwater systems in South Africa." Water Science and Technology 66: 402-408.

Siziba N., Chimbari M.J., Mosepele K., Masundire H. Spatial and temporal variations in densities of small fishes across different temporary floodplain types of the lower Okavango Delta, Botswana. African Journal of Aquatic Sciences. 2011.

We would like to report that Justine Ekou at Makerere University submitted his thesis to the university. We would like to congratulate him on that milestone and to wish him luck with the final stretch.

October 2011:

Mosepele K, Mosepele B, Bokhutlo T, and K Amutenya, 2011. Spatial variability in fish species assemblage and community structure in four subtropical lagoons of the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth 36, 14-15, p. 910–917.

Meck ML, Masamba WRL, Atlhopheng J, and S Ringrose, 2011. Natural attenuation of mining pollutants in the transboundary Save River. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth 36, 14-15, p. 836–841.

Mackay AW, Davidson T, Wolski P, Mazebedi R, Masamba WRL, Huntsman-Mapila P and M Todd, 2011. Spatial and Seasonal Variability in Surface Water Chemistry in the Okavango Delta, Botswana: A Multivariate Approach. Wetlands, Volume 31, Number 5, 815-829. Oct 2011.

Mensah, P.K., W.J. Muller and C.G. Palmer (Nov 2011) "Acute toxicity of Roundup® herbicide to three life stages of the freshwater shrimp Caridina nilotica (Decapoda: Atyidae)." Physics and Chemistry of the Earth 36: 905-909. (Proceedings from the12th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium, 26th – 28th October 2011, Maputo, Mozambique.)

Tshimanga, R. Hughes, D. and E. Kapangaziwiri. Initial calibration of a semi-distributed rainfall runoff model for the Congo River Basin. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth 2011. (Proceedings from the12th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium, 26th – 28th October 2011, Maputo, Mozambique.)

Tirivarombo S., Hughes D.A. Regional droughts and food security relationships in the Zambezi River Basin. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth 36: 977-983, 2011. (Proceedings from the 12th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium, 26th – 28th October 2011, Maputo, Mozambique.)

Motsholapheko, M.R., D.L. Kgathi and C. Vanderpost (2011) "Rural livelihoods and household adaptation to flooding in the Okavango Delta." Physics and Chemistry of the Earth 36: 984-995. (Proceedings from the 12th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium, 26th – 28th October 2011, Maputo, Mozambique.)

Naigaga, I., H. Kaiser, W.J. Muller, L. Ojok, D. Mbabazi, G. Magezi and E. Muhumuza (2011) "Fish as bioindicators in aquatic environmental pollution assessment: a case study in Lake Victoria wetlands, Uganda." Physics and Chemistry of the Earth 36: 918-928.

Odume, O.N. and W.J. Muller (2011) "Diversity and structure of Chironomidae communities in relation to water quality differences in the Swartkops River." Physics and Chemistry of the Earth 36: 929-938. (Proceedings from the12th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium, 26th – 28th October 2011, Maputo, Mozambique.)

Onabolu B., Jimoh O.D., Igboro S.B., Sridhar M.K.C., Onyilo G., Gege A., Ilya R. Source to point of use drinking water changes and knowledge, attitude and practices in Katsina State, Northern Nigeria. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, 2011. (Proceedings from 12th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium, 26th – 28th October 2011, Maputo, Mozambique.)

Siziba N., Mosepele K., Chimbari M.J., Masundire H., and Ramberg L. Spatial and temporal observations on temporary floodplains of the lower Okavango Delta, Botswana. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, 2011. (Proceedings from the12th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium, 26th – 28th October 2011, Maputo, Mozambique.)

Vilanculos A. The use of hydrological information to improve multi-reservoir system operations - Integrated hydrological modelling of the Zambezi river basin. 12th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium, 26th – 28th October 2011, Maputo, Mozambique.

Govate E. Vulnerability Analysis and Design of Protection Zone of Nhartanda and Matundo Aquifer (Tete City – Mozambique). 12th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium, 26th – 28th October 2011, Maputo, Mozambique.

Odume, O.N. Mentum deformities in Chironomidae communities as indicators of anthropogenic impacts in Swartkops River. 12th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium, 26th – 28th October 2011, Maputo, Mozambique.

September 2011:  

Tanner J.L., Hughes D.A. Resolving uncertainties in surface and groundwater interaction modelling: A case study from South Africa using the Pitman Model. International Biennial Conference of the Groundwater Division of the Geological Society of South Africa, 19th – 21st September 2011, Pretoria, South Africa.

Onabolu B. Progress Report of a Comparative Assessment of the Performance and Determinants of Point of Use Water Treatment Technologies in Rural Community Context of Sub-Saharan Africa. September 2011– Rhodes University.

All the Phase II students and the PhD students from Phase I attended the 15th Annual SANCIAHS Symposium held at Rhodes University from 12-14 September. The conference was attended by about 100 delegates. Students presented papers or posters and received feedback.

Cole-Mpho K. Effects of flooding inundation on decomposition of Cyperus articulars in a seasonal floodplain. 15th SANCIAHS National Hydrology Symposium, 12th – 14th September 2011, Grahamstown, South Africa.

Motsholapheko M.R., Vanderpost C., Kgathi D.L. Rural livelihoods and household adaptation to desiccation in the Okavango Delta. 15th SANCIAHS National Hydrology Symposium, 12th – 14th September 2011, Grahamstown, South Africa.

Senhte C. Ecohydrological factors in the epidemiology of anthrax in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. 15th SANCIAHS National Hydrology Symposium, 12th – 14th September 2011, Grahamstown, South Africa.

Mazebedi R. Aquatic macroinvertebrates as bioindicators of habitat integrity in the Okavango Delta. 15th SANCIAHS National Hydrology Symposium, 12th – 14th September 2011, Grahamstown, South Africa

Muhumuza E.K. Characterisation of water quality of river Rwiizi (Mbarara Municipality) using biological indicators. 15th SANCIAHS National Hydrology Symposium, 12th – 14th September 2011, Grahamstown, South Africa.

Ocaido M. and Erume M. Variation of quality of shallow ground water resources for use in urban and rural areas of Uganda. 15th SANCIAHS National Hydrology Symposium, 12th – 14th September 2011, Grahamstown, South Africa.

Nhacume A. Modeling of ground water in the Maputo area – a contribution to management of water resources. 15th SANCIAHS National Hydrology Symposium, 12th – 14th September 2011, Grahamstown, South Africa.

Taimo V. Contribution to the knowledge level of hydrogeological characteristics of Nhamatanda District in Mozambique for sustainable development of groundwater aquifers. 15th SANCIAHS National Hydrology Symposium, 12th – 14th September 2011, Grahamstown, South Africa.

Vilanculos A. The use of hydrological information to improve multi-reservoir system operations - Integrated hydrological modelling of the Zambezi river basin. 15th SANCIAHS National Hydrology Symposium, 12th – 14th September 2011, Grahamstown, South Africa.

Hughes D.A., Mantel S.K., Mohobane T. An assessment of the skill of down-scaled GCM products in simulating historical patterns of rainfall variability. 15th SANCIAHS National Hydrology Symposium, 12th – 14th September 2011, Grahamstown, South Africa.

Mensah P., Palmer C.G., Muller W.J. Lipid peroxidation in the freshwater shrimp Caridina nilotica as a biomarker of Roundup® herbicide pollution of freshwater systems in South Africa. 15th SANCIAHS National Hydrology Symposium, 12th – 14th September 2011, Grahamstown, South Africa.

Mazibuko S. Assessing soil moisture and groundwater storage variations using AMSR-E and GRACE for the Pitman model calibration. 15th SANCIAHS National Hydrology Symposium, 12th – 14th September 2011, Grahamstown, South Africa.

Odume O.N. Integrated environmental water quality management of the Swartkops River, South Africa using water chemistry, whole effluent toxicity testing and macroinvertebrate-based biomonitoring. 15th SANCIAHS National Hydrology Symposium, 12th – 14th September 2011, Grahamstown, South Africa.

Mohobane T. Uncertainties in water resources management as a result of climate change. 15th SANCIAHS National Hydrology Symposium, 12th – 14th September 2011, Grahamstown, South Africa.

Tanner J.L., Hughes D.A. Improving conceptual understanding of surface and ground water interaction processes. 15th SANCIAHS National Hydrology Symposium, Grahamstown, South Africa, 12th – 14th September 2011.

Tshimanga, R. On a perceptual model for informed modelling decisions in large river basins: the case of the Congo basin. 15th SANCIAHS National Hydrology Symposium, 12th – 14th September 2011, Grahamstown, South Africa.

The Symposium was followed by a 2 day writing workshop for the Phase II students at Rhodes University. Some of the comments about the Symposium and Workshop that we received are:

"Students were happy to have interaction with other students from other nodes. They shared their experiences and got ideas on how to improve on their projects. The writing course was also helpful to them and has enhanced their writing skills."
--Prof. Ocaido

"The ORI students indicated the following:
Conference Positives:
a. Was a good networking experience
b. PowerPoint presentations of the posters allowed for better interaction with the audience
c. Student presentations/posters mixed with other presenters. Provided for broad range feedback.

Writing workshop:
a. Equipped students with technical writing skills and provided information on things that are sometimes taken for granted.
b. More practical aspects would be desirable in future workshops."
--Prof. Masamba

August 2011:  

Nqobizitha Siziba won the Leading Student Publisher award at ORI this month.

Mensah P., Palmer C.G., Muller W.J. Acetylcholinesterase activity in the freshwater shrimp Caridina nilotica as a biomarker of Roundup® herbicide pollution of freshwater systems in South Africa. 2nd Conference of the Southern African Young Water Professionals (YWP) held under the auspices of the International Water Association (IWA) and Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA) in July at the CSIR ICC, Pretoria. Jul 2011.

Hughes, D. Hydrological education and training needs in Sub-Saharan Africa: requirements, constraints and progress. 29 June-7 July 2011, Melbourne, Australia.

Kapangaziwiri E., Hughes D., Tanner J., Slaughter A. Resolving uncertainties in the source of low flows in South African rivers using conceptual and modelling studies. Proceedings of IAHS Symposium H01 of the IUGG Scientific Assembly, Melbourne, Australia, July 2011.

Tshimanga, R. Understanding hydrological processes and estimating model parameter values in large basins: The case of the Congo River basin. 29th June – 7th July 2011, Melbourne, Australia.

For IWR, we are glad to report that 4 of our students (Sithabile Tirivarombo, Nelson Odume, Paul Mensah and Raphael Tshimanga) have had their publications to the journal Physics and Chemistry of the Earth accepted.

The network overall is getting prepared for our annual meeting in mid-September as part of the SANCIAHS meeting at Rhodes University. All the new students from Phase II and the PhD students from Phase I will attend and present posters.

From ORI:
New students
Krasposy Kujinga, Richard Mazebedi, Gosaitse Tubatsi, and Kudzanai Chipiso attended a Research Methods Course and are working on their proposals.

Both Kondja Amutenya and Gaolathe Tsheboeng are finalizing their theses and they should be sent for examination by mid September.

Kele Cole is still carrying out chemical analysis for plant and soil samples and made a presentation: Effect of flood inundation of Cyperus articulatus litter decomposition in the Okavango Delta seasonal floodplain on 12 August 2011. Experimental work planned to be completed in October 2011.

Nqobizitha Siziba has had the following papers accepted:
N Siziba, MJ Chimbari, K Mosepeleand H Masundire. Spatial and temporal variations in densities of small fishes across different temporary floodplain types of the lower Okavango Delta, Botswana. African Journal of Aquatic Science. 2011, 36(3): 309–320.

Nqobizitha Siziba, Moses John Chimbari, Hillary Masundire, Ketlhatlogile Mosepele. Spatial and temporal variations of microinvertebrates across temporary floodplains of the lower Okavango Delta, Botswana. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth. Volume 36, Issues 14–15, 2011, Pages 939–948.

Nqobizitha Siziba, Moses John Chimbari, Hillary Masundire, Ketlhatlogile Mosepele. Spatial variations of microinvertebrates across different microhabitats of temporary floodplains of lower Okavango Delta, Botswana. African Journal of Ecology. Volume 50, Issue 1, pages 43–52.

His thesis should be ready for examination by end of December, 2011.

N. Motsholapheko should have his thesis ready for examination by end of April, 2012

July 2011:

Tshimanga R., Hughes D., Kapangaziwiri E. Understanding hydrological processes and estimating model parameter values in large basins: The case of the Congo River basin. IAHS Publ.345: 17-22, Jul 2011.

The SSAWRN network is preparing for our annual meeting at the SANCIAHS symposium 2011 being held at Rhodes University from 12-14 September. RISE students have submitted their abstracts and all the new students will be coming together for the first time.

June 2011:

UB Newsletter: RISE Delegation Visits the University of Botswana. June 2011.

Onabolu B. Progress Report of a Comparative Assessment of the Performance and Determinants of Point of Use Water Treatment Technologies in Rural Community Context of Sub-Saharan Africa. June 2011 to Technical Working Group Nairobi, Kenya.

May 2011:  

TWAS profile of Okavango Research Institute in Botswana. May 2011.

Carnegie Corporation: Study of Botswana's Okavango Wetlands Features Work of Carnegie Corporation-Funded Researchers. May 2011.

Swatuk LA, Motsholapheko MR and D Mazvimavi, 2011. A Political Ecology of Development in the Boteti River Region of Botswana: locating a place for sport. Third World Quarterly, 32: 3, 453 — 475. May 2011.

The majority of the new students under Phase II have begun their studies. Our annual meeting is planned in collaboration with the 15th SANCIAHS symposium that will be held at Rhodes University. Students (both 1st and 2nd phase) are in process of submitting their abstracts.

An update on the students at ORI is as follows:

Nqobizitha Siziba, PhD student. Has completed field work but is still analyzing samples in the laboratory. Has submitted a paper entitled “Spatial and Temporal Variation in Densities of Juvenile Fishes across Different Temporary Floodplains of the Lower Okavango Delta, Botswana” to the African Journal of Aquatic Sciences. Review comments for two papers that were sent to the ‘Journal of Physics and Chemistry of the earth’ and ‘African Journal of Ecology’ are still waited for. An abstract entitled “Some physicochemical limnological observations on temporary floodplains of the Lower Okavango Delta, Botswana” was submitted to WaterNet for consideration for the 12th symposium to be held in Maputo, Mozambique this year. Another abstract (Title: Spatial and Temporal Variation in Densities of Juvenile Fishes across Different Temporary Floodplains of the Lower Okavango Delta, Botswana) has been submitted for the 15th South African SANCIAHS National Hydrology Symposium.

Moseki Motsholapheko, PhD student. Completed most of his research work except for focus group discussions. Has written and submitted 2 papers. Write-up of various sections of the thesis are on-going, and write-up of article 3 for publishing is ongoing.

Kelebogile Cole, MPhil. Student. Still conducting her research. Has submitted abstracts for WaterNet symposium and SANCIAHS National Hydrology Symposium.

Gaolathe Tsheboeng, MPhil student. Has submitted draft thesis, and Submitted Abstract to WaterNet 12th Symposium.

Kondja Amutenya. Is due to submit draft thesis by 20 May 2011. Also submitted an abstract to the 2011 WaterNet Symposium.

New Students at ORI
Three of the four second phase students have reported for their studies. These are: Richard Mazebedi (PhD student), Gosaitse Tubatsi (MPhil) and Kudzanai Chipiso (MPhil). The fourth student Krasposy Kujinga (PhD) is expected on 29th May as he has to complete some work before registering as a student.

April 2011:

Black FJ, Bokhutlo T, Somoxa A, Maethamako M, Modisaemang O, Kemosedile T, Cobb-Adams C, Mosepele K, and M. Chimbari, 2011. The tropical African mercury anomaly: Lower than expected mercury concentrations in fish and human hair. Sci Total Environ, Vol 409, 10, 1967-1975.

March 2011:

Odume O.N. Application of Macroinvertebrate Based Biomonitoring Approaches to Assess Anthropogenic Impacts in the Swartkops River, South Africa. MSc thesis, Rhodes University. Grahamstown, South Africa. March 2011.

The first graduate from SSAWRN is Nelson Odume with his MSc degree from Rhodes University! He is staying on to do a PhD at Rhodes under the 2nd Phase of the funding.

The SSAWRN network is in the process of completing the registration process for the new students under the 2nd Phase. A total of 12 new students and 1 postdoc are expected to begin their research by April 2011 under the 2nd Phase.

February 2011: The SSAWRN network is in the process of finalizing student registrations under the new grant.

January 2011: The network has received approximately 120 applications for the funding call that was sent in October last year. After receiving the good news that the funding is approved, we are in the process of selecting students and getting them registered.

December 2010: The SSAWRN network sent out the Call for Applications for the 2011-
2013 renewal funding (assuming it is approved) in Ocober with a deadline for 3 December 2010. We have received 112 applications that have been passed on to the node coordinators for short-listing. We are now waiting to hear if the funding is approved, before proceeding with the selection process.

Additionally, the ORI (previously HOORC) node has sent a detailed report on their students that is below:

Kondja Amutenya
Continuation of research work: polishing and reading otoliths. Attended a thesis writing course at ORI.

Posters presented:
Amutenya K., K., Mosepele, and W. Masamba, Effects of habitat partitioning on growth of two Tilapia Species from Okavango Delta, Botswana. Paper presented at the 11th WATERNET/WARFSA/GWP-SA symposium, Victoria falls, Zimbabwe, 27 October 2010
Amutenya K., K., Mosepele, and W. Masamba, Effects of habitat partitioning on growth of two Tilapia Species from Okavango Delta, Botswana. Poster presented at the University of Botswana open day, Gaborone, Botswana, 5 November 2010.

M.R. Motsholapheko
Data analysis and write-up of the paper entitled “Rural livelihoods and adaptation to high flooding in the Okavango Delta”. The paper was presented at both the RISE meeting held in Benoni, RSA (6th -8th October 2010), the 11th WATERNET/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe on 27th to 29th October 2010 and the Office of Research and Development (Univerasity of Botswana) open day on 5th November 2010.. To be submitted to Physics and Chemistry of the Earth Journal by end of November 2010.
Work towards completion of the first paper on Rural livelihoods and adaptation to desiccation in the distal Okavango Delta is on-going and expected to be completed by end of December 2010.

Gaolathe Tsheboeng
Project Progress: Data collection is complete. Soil samples have been analyzed in the laboratory for the following nutrients; Na, Ca, Mg, K, Organic matter, Ec and pH. The analysis for P and N is still waiting due to the technical problems in the laboratory. The instruments that are used to analyze for them are not functioning at the moment but the lab technician promises that they will be fine before the University closes by December. Thesis writing has since commenced and the introduction chapter has been submitted to the supervisors.

Paper and Conference Presentation:
Tsheboeng G and M.C. Bonyongo (2010). The influence of seasonal flood variation on the spatial distribution of floodplain vegetation communities in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Paper presented at the 11th WATERNET/WARFSA/GWP-SA symposium, Victoria falls, Zimbabwe, 27 October 2010.

Tsheboeng G., M.C. Bonyongo and M.Murray-Hudson (2010). Flood regime variations and soil micronutrient status in the seasonal floodplains of the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Poster presented at the University of Botswana open day, Gaborone, Botswana, 5 November 2010.

Cole K., G. Tsheboeng, M.C. Bonyongo and W.R.L. Masamba (2010). The impact of hydro period on organic matter dynamics in a seasonal floodplains of the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Poster presented at the 11th Waternet/ WARFSA/GWP-SA symposium, Victoria falls, Zimbabwe, 27 October 2010.

Journal publication
Tsheboeng G and M.C. Bonyongo (2010). The influence of seasonal flood variation on the spatial distribution of floodplain vegetation communities in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Paper to be submitted to Journal of Physics and Chemistry of the Earth.

Nqobizitha Siziba
Some of the findings of the study have been presented at different gatherings within the SADC region including at the Carnegie-RISE meeting, in South Africa, October 2010. Currently, I am working on three draft manuscripts which I hope to submit for review in early 2011.

Papers presented
Siziba N. (2010) Implications of seasonal flooding of the Okavango delta floodplains on
microinvertebrates and juvenile fish production, Botswana. Carnegie-RISE meeting, Johannesburg, South Africa, October 2010.

Siziba N., M. J. Chimbari, H. Masundire and K. Mosepele (2010) Spatial variations in abundance of microinvertebrates across different microhabitats of the seasonal floodplains of the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Carnegie-RISE meeting, Johannesburg, South Africa, October 2010.

Siziba, N., Chimbari, M., H Masundire and K Mosepele (2010) Spatio-temporal variations of
microinvertebrates in different floodplain types of the Okavango Delta, Botswana. 11th Waternet symposium, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, October 2010.

Mosepele K., Bokhutlo, T., Mosepele, B and Siziba, N (2010) Influence of the flood pulse on the life history of Schilbe intermedius (silver catfish) from the Okavango Delta, Botswana. 11th Waternet symposium, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, October 2010.

Siziba N., M. J. Chimbari H., Masundire and K. Mosepele (2010) Spatial variations in abundance of microinvertebrates across different microhabitats of the seasonal floodplains of the Okavango Delta, Botswana. University of Botswana Research Day, Gaborone, November 2010.

Kelebogile Gaone Cole
Project Progress:
I have recently participated in the 11th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium, which was held at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe on the 27th -29th October 2010. There I presented a poster. I was also part of the University of Botswana Research Day, where I presented a poster and was awarded second place on graduate poster presentation competition. I am currently working on outlining my thesis and reviewing of more literature. I have constructed a green house and will resume experimentation as soon as materials that have been ordered are available. I recently attended a Graduate students Workshop on Navigating the MPhil/PHD: Writing processes and strategies for Academic Writing which was held at ORI on the 10th -11th November 2010.

Paper and Conference Presentation Citations:
Cole K.G., G. Tsheboeng, M.C. Bonyongo and W.R.L. Masamba (2010) The impact of flooding on organic matter dynamics in a seasonal floodplain of the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Poster presented at 11th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, October 2010.

Cole K.G., G. Tsheboeng, M.C. Bonyongo and W.R.L. Masamba (2010) The impact of flooding on organic matter dynamics in a seasonal floodplain of the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Poster presented at University of Botswana Research Day Graduate Poster presentation, Gaborone, Botswana, November 2010.

November 2010: The SSAWRN students attended the 11th WaterNET/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium held from 27-29 October 2010 at Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe). Students presented posters or oral presentations. The approximate attendance at the symposium was 350 delegates. Mr. Oghenekaro Nelson Odume, a RISE funded student of the SSAWRN network, presented a paper titled “Diversity and structure of Chironomidae (dipteral) communities in relations to water quality changes in the Swartkops River” based on his MSc research at the Institute for Water Research, Rhodes University. Nelson won one of the four 2010 Distinguished Young Scientist Awards (< 35 years) for best oral presentation. The prize includes financial support for accommodation, air ticket and living stipends during the period of PhD literature review at any Western Cape University of choice. Nelson is very excited at the recognition of his work in the scientific community. (Read about ORI attendance at the meeting here.)

We have advertised for the postgraduate studies bursaries under the renewal funding (assuming it is renewed) through heads of departments at universities across Africa. We have already received over 30 applications for the bursaries and the deadline for the applications is 3 December 2010. We will then await confirmation from Carnegie Corporation about the renewal funding before confirming with the students about the success of their applications.

ORI student Kele Cole won second prize in the graduate student poster competition at University of Botswana Research Day this month.

October 2010:

Shinishunthirasingham , C., Mmereki , B.T., Masamba , W., Oyiliagu , C.E., Lei , Y.D. and Wania, F. 2010. Fate of Pesticides in the Arid Subtropics, Botswana, Southern Africa. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2010, 44 (21), pp 8082–8088.

Ramberg, L., Lindholm, M., Hessen, D.O., Murray-Hudson, M., Bonyongo, C., Heinl, M., Masamba, W., VanderPost, C. and Wolski, P. 2010. Aquatic ecosystem responses to fire and flood size in the Okavango Delta: observations from the seasonal floodplains. Wetlands Ecology and Management, Vol 18, 5, 587-595.

Three RISE-SSAWRN graduate students presented their research at ORI this month.

September 2010: The students in the network are getting ready for 2 meetings - the RISE conference and the WaterNet conference at the end of October. A detailed account from the HOORC node is below.

N. Siziba
1. Continuation of research work
2. Preparation for an oral presentation at the RISE meeting in October: Implications of Seasonal Flooding of the Okavango Delta Floodplains on Microinvertebrates and Juvenile Fish Production
3. Preparation for a presentation at the Waternet Symposium: Spatio-temporal variations of zooplankton communities across different seasonal floodplain types of the Okavango Delta, Botswana
4. Preparation of two journal papers

M.R. Motsholapheko
1. Continuation of research work
2. Preparation for a poster presentation at the RISE meeting in October: Rural Livelihoods and Adaptation to Flooding in the Okavango Delta, Botswana
3. Preparation for a presentation at the Waternet Symposium: Rural livelihoods and adaptation to flooding in the Okavango Delta, Botswana
4. Preparation of two journal papers:

G. Tsheboeng
1. Continuation of research work
2. Preparation for a poster at the RISE meeting in October: The Relationship Between a High Flood Regime and Soil Nutrient Status in Floodplain Vegetation Communities in the Okavango Delta, Botswana.
3. Preparation of paper for presentation at Waternet symposium: The influence of seasonal floods on the spatial distribution of floodplain vegetation in the Okavango Delta.
4. Preparation of a journal paper

K. Amutenya
1. Continuation of research work
2. Preparation of paper for presentation at Waternet symposium: Effects of habitat partitioning on growth of two Tilapia Species from Okavango Delta, Botswana.
3. Preparation of a journal paper

Kelebogile Cole
1. Finalisation of proposal document: Flooding and nutrient mineralisation in a seasonal flood plain of the Okavango Delta, Botswana
2. Preparation for presentation at Waternet Symposium: The impact of hydro period and water chemistry on nutrient mineralization in a seasonal floodplain of the Okavango Delta, Botswana
3. Preparation of a journal paper
4. Beginning of research work

August 2010: Our network nodes are in the process of making arrangements for the flights, hotels, and reservations for the 11th WaterNet conference in Victoria Falls from 27-29th October that the students will be attending to make oral presentations or to present posters.

May 2010:

Mataka, L.M., Sajidu, S.M.I., Masamba, W.R.L. and JF Mwatseteza. 2010. Cadmium sorption by Moringa stenopetala and Moringa oleifera seed powders: Batch, time, temperature, pH and adsorption isotherm studies. International Journal of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering Vol. 2(3), pp. 50-59.

Meck, M.L., Atlhopheng, J., Masamba, W.R.L. and Ringrose, S. 2010. Pollution implications of save river water from weathering and dissolution of metal hosting minerals at Dorowa phosphate mine, Zimbabwe. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth 35 (2010) 679–685.

April 2010: The SSAWRN network students are working on their abstracts to submit to the WaterNet conference by the end of April. We are also finalizing a grant application for supplementary funding to run a thesis writing course, possibly to be held in July.

March 2010:

Meck, M.L., Atlhopheng, J., Masamba, W.R.L., Ringrose, S. and Diskin, S. 2010. Minerals that Host Metals at Dorowa Rock Phosphate Mine, Zimbabwe. The Open Mineralogy Journal, 2010, 4, 20-28 (1874-4567/10 2010 Bentham Open).

The students of SSAWRN are preparing abstracts on their research to send in to the 11th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium which will be held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe 27-29th October 2010. Abstract deadline is end of April.

February 2010:

Report from Rhodes University: Dr. Francis Arimoro has finished his postdoc and left for Nigeria. The funding for a postdoc at IWR will now be used to support a new PhD student from Nigeria, Ms. Boluwaji Onabolu, starting from March 2010. She has been accepted at Rhodes University and her research title is “A Risk Assessment of Drinking Water Quality Deterioration from Source to Point of Use, Its Public Health Impact and Governance”.

Report from HOORC:
1.  Student Attendance at a Symposium: The two PhD students presented papers and the two MPhil students presented posters at the Flood Pulse Symposium held at Maun Lodge, Maun, Botswana from the 1st - 5th February 2010. The names and titles are as follows:

Moseki Motsholapheko
Paper presented: Rural livelihoods and adaptation to desiccation in the lower Okavango River Basin.

Nqobizitha Siziba
Paper presented: The importance of seasonal flooding on the food chain link between zooplankton and juvenile fish in the Okavango Delta, Botswana.

Gaolatlhe Tsheboeng
Poster presented: The relationship between the flood duration and the spatial distribution of soil nutrients in the seasonal floodplain of the Okavango Delta.

d. Kondja Amutenya
Poster presented: Habitat partitioning and biological variabirity into two cichlid species in Okavango delta.

2. Research Assistant/Graduate Assistant: The Research Assistant has been registered into HOORC’s MPhil programme. The tentative abstract for her research project is given below.

Name: Kelebogile Cole
Country: Botswana
"Decomposition of Macrophyte Litter and Nutrient Dynamics in a Floodplain of the Okavango Delta, Botswana"
The Okavango Delta is a complex and highly productive natural ecosystem containing a wide variety of animal and plant species. About 1300 plant species had been identified in the Okavango Delta. Variations in flooding patterns cause accumulation and sudden mobilization of nutrients which are readily used by well adapted plant species. Macrophytes are aquatic plants growing near or in water, and well adapted to living in wetland conditions hence they form a significant portion of the plant community in the Okavango Delta. Macrophytes play a pivotal role in wetland biogeochemical transformation processes and sustenance of aquatic ecosystems. They can act as indicators of water quality. The senescence of macrophytes marks the beginning of decomposition and can produce large amounts of standing and fallen litter. The process of decomposition has a significant effect on overall plant production in many wetland ecosystems similar to the Okavango Delta and therefore it is important for ecosystem functioning. In this project macrophyte decomposition rates of papyrus will be determined in different floodplains in the delta and the effect on water quality will be quantified. [Blog post about and by Kele are here and here.]

January 2010: A meeting to further discussions about linking WaterNet and SSAWRN is being planned for February in Harare involving Prof. Hughes and David Love, Manager of WaterNet.

December 2009:

Sithabile Tirivarombo, a PhD student, was awarded a Faculty for the Future Fellowship for 2010 by the Schlumberger Foundation. (Her bio is in a Faculty for the Future publication here on page 53.)

October 2009: The SSAWRN network met at the 14th SANCIAHS symposium in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa last month (see photo below). Fifteen students supported by RISE funding presented their project proposals and progress so far. Their presentations were well-received and there was healthy discussion about the projects. On 24th September, following the end of the symposium, the attending node supervisors and some of the students met for our first annual meeting to discuss various issues related to the network and the way forward. Various participants vocalized that attending the symposium and the meeting was extremely useful for them.

September 2009:

Francis Arimoro, Lecture on Aquatic Invertebrate Biology, Dept. of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Namibia. Windhoek, Namibia. August/September 2009.

The SSAWRN network will be meeting in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa for their annual meeting from 21-24th September. The RISE-supported students will be presenting their proposals and progress at the 14th SANCIAHS symposium.

August 2009: We are in the final stages of preparing to attend the 14th SANCIAHS Symposium in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa from 21-24th September. A total of 26 RISE delegates will be attending, including 14 students and 2 postdocs who are supported by the Carnegie-RISE funding.

July 2009:

The network is planning for our annual meeting in September at the 14th SANCIAHS Symposium in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. All RISE funded students/postdocs, a number of the supervisors and the node coordinators will attend the conference and stay an extra day to discuss progress and problem areas.

During June, a number of the RISE funded students/postdoc attended conferences.

Mr. Raphael Tshimanga (PhD student) attended a conference on Nile Basin Research held in Dar es Salaam. He presented some of the details of his work on water resource modeling of the Congo basin. The funding for this visit has been provided by the Nile Basin Research Programme at the University of Bergen.

	Mr. Agostinho Vilanculos (PhD student) attended the Waternet programme meeting at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg at the invitation of the Challenge Program on Water and Food with a focus on the Limpopo river basin. He presented his proposed PhD work on the Zambezi River basin.
	Dr. Francis Arimoro (postdoc) presented a paper at the SASAqS (South African Society of Aquatic Sciences) conference held in Broederstroom, Mpumalanga. Dr. Arimoro was primarily funded by a Rhodes University conference funding programme.

May 2009: We are in the beginning stages of planning for attendance of the RISE students of the SSAWRN network and their supervisors at a yearly conference. This year we have selected the 14th SANCIAHS (South African Committee of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences) Symposium which is being held at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa from 21-23 September.

April 2009: Registration of most of the students is in the final stages. Due to the loss of two MPhil students at HOORC (one student withdrew his application and the other had not completed her BSc), two substitute students are being approved and they are in the process of obtaining their registration. IWR has also received the last PhD student who is now registered. By the end of April, it is expected that 7 MSc students, 7 PhD and 1 postdoc will be on board.  Another postdoc might still be confirmed at a later point.

March 2009: SSAWRN has accepted 14 applicants into the capacity building program including 6 MSc students, 7 PhD and 1 postdoc.  It is expected that an additional MSc student and a postdoc might be confirmed in the next couple of months.  A majority of the applicants have started or are in the process of starting their research at their respective nodes.