Water Resources Management

Do you want to make a difference by contributing to the preservation of one of the world’s largest inland delta fans and Africa’s most pristine wetland?

The ORI Water Resource Management Programme has a mission to be at the forefront of water dynamics research aimed at the protection of the Okavango delta for the present and future generations. It is estimated that by 2050, the world’s population will reach 9.2 billion people! This will create countless competing priorities of water for ecosystems, food, energy, economic growth and human use. Efficient resource management is thus key to the sustainability of those resources. Researchers at ORI, in collaboration with stakeholders, including communities around the delta and people around the globe must come up with solutions for the protection and sustainable use of this resource. To this end, the Water Resources Management Programme is uniquely positioned with expertise in; Hydrology, Water Resources Management, Water Chemistry and Natural Resources Governance.to finding solutions to these challenges. This programme aims at advancing knowledge on the interactions and feedbacks between social, economic and environmental factors that impact on water resources sustainability in the Okavango Delta, Botswana and beyond.

If these are issues of concern to you too, come work with us. Whether you are a potential student, researcher or funding agency interested in environmental conservation, you can make your mark. Contact us to find out how. You may also contact individual researchers listed under Core Members.

Current Projects

  1. Occurrence of Disinfection by-products in drinking water, Botswana (2016-2018). Funded by ORD.
  2. MOYA: The Global Methane (2016-2018) Work Package 4.2 African Wetland Flux studies in seasonally and periodically flooded wetland in the Okavango Delta. Funded by NERC.
  3. Socio-cultural and institutional determinants of female morbidity due to urogenital schistosomiasis in selected communities at the fringes of the Okavango River in Botswana (2016-2018). Funded by ORD.
  4. Integrated Water Resource Management and Ethics Action Group, Africa-EU Innovation Alliance (AfriAlliance) for Water and Climate (2016-2021) . UNESCO-IHE coordinated project. Project partners: Rhodes University (South Africa), University of Botswana, Wageningen University (Netherlands), Université Moulay-Ismaïl (Morocco), ICATALIST (Spain). Funded by EU Horizon 2020. .
  5. Dissonance in customary and statutory water management legislations in the Okavango Delta, Botswana (2016-2018). Funded by University of Botswana Office of Research Development.
  6. Channel failure in the Okavango Delta: understanding channel change and floodplain evolution in ‘wetlands in drylands. Partners: Macquarie University, Australia ORI-UB.

Core Members

Name Position Department
Dr Reniko Gondo Senior Research Scholar in Spatial Policy in Natural Resources Governance Okavango Research Institute
Ms Oarabile Mogobe Research Scientist Okavango Research Institute
Mr. Edwin Mosimanyana Research Scholar - Hydrology Okavango Research Institute
Prof. Moseki Ronald Motsholapheko Associate Professor in Natural Resources Management Okavango Research Institute
Ms Nametso Dorothy Phonchi Tshekiso Research Scholar- Land Use & Policy Planning Okavango Research Institute

Selected Publications

Journal articles

  1. Gondo, R., Mogomotsi, PK., and Mogomotsi, GEJ (2018). ‘Integration of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Natural Resources Management in Hurungwe District, Zimbabwe’. International Journal of African Renaissance Studies. DOI: 10.1080/18186874.2018.1475869.
  2. Gondo, R., Kolawole, OD and Mbaiwa, J.E (2018) ‘Dissonance in customary and statutory water management institutions: issues of cultural diversity in the management of water resources in the Okavango Delta, Botswana’. Environment, Development and Sustainability. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10668-018-0093-3
  3.  Mogomotsi, PK., Mogomotsi, GEJ and Gondo, R (2018) ‘Utilisation of Non Timber Forest Products in Botswana: The Case of Commercialisation of Mopane worms (Imbraisia belina) in Central District, Botswana’. Journal of Forestry and Environmental Science. 34(1): 24-30.
  4. Mogomotsi, G.E.J., Mogomotsi, P.K., Madigele, T.J and Gondo, R (2018) ‘Community participation in Environmental Policy Formulation in Botswana.’ Chinese Journal of Population, Resources and Environment. DOI: 10.1080/10042857.2018.1480684.

Book chapters

  1. Mogobe, O., Mosimanyana, E., Masamba, W.R.L. & Mosepele, K. (2018) Monitoring water quality of the Upper Okavango Delta. In: Climate change and adaptive land management in southern Africa – assessments, changes, challenges, and solutions (ed. by Revermann, R., Krewenka, K.M.,Schmiedel, U., Olwoch, J.M., Helmschrot, J. & Jürgens, N.), pp. 106-111, Biodiversity & Ecology,6, Klaus Hess Publishers, Göttingen & Windhoek. doi:10.7809/b-e.00311
  2. de Clercq, W., Helmschrot, J., de Witt, M., Himmelsbach, T., Kenabatho, P., Kralisch, S., Liehr, S.,Ferreira Baptista, L., Mogobe, O., Mufeti, P., Müller, I., Nyambe, I., Sichingabula, H.M., Teixeira-Pinto, A., Teixeira Pires, G.J.P., Hipondoka, M. & Wanke, H. (2018) Water research in southern Africa: Data collection and innovative approaches towards climate change adaptation in the water sector. In: Climate change and adaptive land management in southern Africa – assessments, changes, challenges, and solutions (ed. by Revermann, R., Krewenka, K.M., Schmiedel, U.,Olwoch, J.M., Helmschrot, J. & Jürgens, N.), pp. 54-65, Biodiversity & Ecology, 6, Klaus Hess Publishers, Göttingen & Windhoek. doi:10.7809/b-e.00305

Published abstracts

  1. Mogobe, O., Mosimanyana, E., Masamba, W. R. L. and Mosepele, K.  (2018) Improved Database on Water quality and quantity in Botswana. Presentation at the 2018 SASSCAL Science Symposium “Science Diplomacy supporting Climate Change Action in SADC’ Lusaka, Zambia, 16-20 April 2018.
  2. Setomba, B., Mogobe, O., Masamba, W. R. L.  (2018). The influence of flood pulse on microbial water quality parameters in the Lower Okavango Delta. Presentation at the 2018 SASSCAL Science Symposium “Science Diplomacy supporting Climate Change Action in SADC’ Lusaka, Zambia, 16-20 April 2018.

In pursuit of academic excellence

GET IN TOUCH