FOCUS AREAS

NTWAM’s work is driven by a team of experts with diverse backgrounds and specialties, and its mission is to inform national water sector development through applied research, community service, facilitating knowledge exchange, and advocacy for evidence-based policies and practices.
The main focus areas include, but not limited to, the following:

         1. Applied research for decision-making and sustainable development;

         2. Advocacy for evidence-based policies and practices; 

         3. Capacity building for professionals, researchers, institutions and communities; and

         4. Empowering women, youth, and people with disabilities in sustainable energy and water management.

APPLIED RESEARCH AREAS

NTWAM’s applied research approach centers on the interconnected Water-Energy-Environment systems, recognizing their deep interdependence. This focus supports integrated resource management and governance, ensuring that decisions consider both trade-offs and synergies across sectors. By embracing a nexus-based perspective, NTWAM can collaborate with investors, policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to develop solutions that maximize benefits while minimizing unintended consequences. The goal is to drive sustainable progress by fostering coordinated strategies that balance environmental, economic, and social priorities.

Some selected key applied research activities earmarked include, but not limited to, the following:

         (i)    HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES MODELING AND FLOW FORECASTING; (Links below)

                      Critical review of SWAT applications in the upper Nile basin countries;

                      SWAT model application in a data scarce tropical complex catchment in Tanzania;

                      Future hydrology and climate in the River Nile basin: a review;

                      Evaluating land cover change and its impact on hydrological regime in Upper Shire river catchment, Malawi;

                      Use of Radarsat-2 and Landsat TM Images for Spatial Parameterization of Manning’s Roughness Coefficient in Hydraulic Modeling;

         (ii)    CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION STRATEGIES; (Links below)

                      Uncertainty of runoff projections under changing climate in Wami River sub-basin;

         (iii)   INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT; (Links below)

                      Comparing flow regime, channel hydraulics, and biological communities to infer flow–ecology relationships in the Mara River of                              Kenya and Tanzania;

                      Nile River Basin – Ecohydrological Challenges, Climate Change and Hydropolitics;

                      Creating sustainable capacity for river science in the Congo basin through the CRuHM project;

         (iv)   RAINWATER HARVESTING AND MANAGEMENT; (Links below)

                      Reliability of Rainwater Harvesting Systems in Suburbs. A case study of Changanyikeni in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania;

                      Tackling rainwater shortages during dry seasons using a socio-technical operational strategy;

         (v)    COMMUNITY WATER ACCESS AND MANAGEMENT; (Links below)

                      Rural Water Clustering: The Case for Community Based Water Supply Organizations in Tanzania

         (vi)   LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT AND RESTORATION; (Links below)

                      Assessment of basin-scale soil erosion within the Congo River Basin: A review;

                      A guided SWAT model application on sediment yield modelling in Pangani River basin: LESSONS LEARNT;

                      Estimating gully erosion contribution to large catchment sediment yield rate in Tanzania;

                      Suitability of SWAT Model for sediments yields Modelling in Eastern Africa;

                      Modeling Sediment Dynamics: Effect of Land Use, Topography, and Land Management in the Wami-Ruvu Basin, Tanzania;

                       Validation of PSIAC Model for Sediment Yields Estimation in Ungauged Catchments of Tanzania;

                       Estimating Soil Loss Rate and Sediment Yield of the Proposed Ngololweni Earth Dam, Kingdom of Eswatini;

                       Comparison of sediment transport computations using hydrodynamic versus hydrologic models in the Simiyu River in Tanzania;;

         (vii)   RENEWABLE ENERGY AND ENERY EFFICIENCY; (Links below)

                       The development of micro hydro for rural energy supply in Tanzania;

         (viii)  ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND AUDIT; (Link below)

                       Comparing flow regime, channel hydraulics, and biological communities to infer flow–ecology relationships in the Mara River of                             Kenya and Tanzania;

                       Environmental flow assessment as a tool for achieving environmental objectives of African water policy, with examples from East                           Africa;

         (ix) NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT; (Link below)

                       Fluoride occurrence in groundwater systems at global scale and status of defluoridation – State of the art

                       Groundwater resources in the East African Rift Valley: Understanding the geogenic contamination and water quality challenges in                         Tanzania;

                       Arsenic in Africa: potential sources, spatial variability, and the state of the art for arsenic removal using locally available materials

         (x)   WATER SECURITY ASSESSMENT; (Links below)

                      “Floods and Droughts: Investment in Water Security is an Urgent Issue”;

                      “ MEETING BETWEEN WAMI / RUVU BASIN, CTI,SWM,GWP-Tanzania, NTWAM and UNESCO”;

         (xi)    URBAN DRAINAGE AND FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT; (Link below)

                       Accuracy of Dem-Based Topographic Data in Flood Inundation Modelling: A Case of Wami River, Tanzania;

CAPACITY BUILDING FOR PROFESSIONALS, RESEARCHERS, INSTITUTIONS AND COMMUNITIES

NTWAM understands that capacity building for professionals, researchers, institutions, and communities is essential for effective water resources management and sustainable development. The rationale for capacity building includes:

(i) Enhancing Knowledge and Skills
   – Improved understanding: Capacity building enhances the understanding of water resources management principles, practices, and                      technologies.
  – Skill development: It develops the skills of professionals, researchers, and communities to apply knowledge and best practices in water                  resources management.

(ii) Promoting Sustainable Development
   – Informed decision-making: Capacity building enables informed decision-making by providing stakeholders with the knowledge and skills          to analyze and interpret data.
   – Sustainable practices: It promotes sustainable practices and behaviors among stakeholders, contributing to long-term environmental and          economic benefits.

(iii) Addressing Water-Related Challenges
  –  Climate change: Capacity building helps stakeholders adapt to climate change by understanding its impacts on water resources and                    developing strategies to mitigate and adapt to these changes.
 –   Water scarcity: It enables stakeholders to manage water scarcity by developing and implementing effective water conservation and                       management strategies.

(iv) Fostering Collaboration and Partnerships
  – Stakeholder engagement: Capacity building fosters collaboration and partnerships among stakeholders, including professionals,                           researchers, institutions, and communities.
  – Knowledge sharing: It promotes knowledge sharing and exchange among stakeholders, contributing to the development of best practices       and innovative solutions.

(v) Empowering Communities
  – Community empowerment: Capacity building empowers communities to take ownership of water resources management and                             development initiatives.
  – Inclusive development: It promotes inclusive development by ensuring that all stakeholders, including vulnerable groups, have access to             knowledge, skills, and resources.

By investing in capacity building, NTWAM jointly with other stakeholders including communities can develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to manage water resources effectively and promote sustainable development.