IHE Delft 💧 GERD sedimentation - the downstream impact by MSc Gofran Ahmed
Channel: IHE Delft Institute for Water Education
Date: 2023-11-22

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), with a total capacity of 74 billion cubic meters (BCM), is under construction in the upper Blue Nile River basin. Upon completion, it will become the largest hydropower dam in Africa and one of the top 10 globally. Several concerns have been raised about its potential downstream impacts, in particular regarding changes in the sediment load downstream. These can have positive and negative implications for the lifetime of downstream reservoirs, the quality of drinking and irrigation water, and river morphology.

In this seminar, IHE Delft MSc alumna Gofran Ahmed presented her MSc research, which focused on GERD sedimentation and its impact on the sedimentation of the Roseires Reservoir in Sudan. Roseires,  located 15 km downstream from GERD, is the first reservoir on the Blue Nile Basin in Sudan and has a capacity of 7 BCM.

Ahmed collected data from measuring stations and used of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to generate sediment inflow time series to fill in data gaps. Her research focused on developing a dynamic trap efficiency computational scheme to simulate reservoir sedimentation, and her results provide a good understanding of the seasonal and annual sedimentation rate in the GERD and its implications for the sedimentation of the Roseires Reservoir.

Gofran Ahmed is a Teaching Assistant at the University of Khartoum, Sudan. She obtained her BSc in chemical engineering from the University of Khartoum, where she was recognized with awards for the best graduation project and best academic performance. In October 2023, she completed her MSc in Water and Sustainable Development at IHE Delft, with a digital innovation profile. Her areas of interest include machine learning, process simulation, and mathematical modelling. In addition, she has a keen interest in water quality and drinking water treatment.

Ahmed admires the role of education, applied research and community awareness. She aspires to make meaningful contributions to the academic field and raise awareness within her community.