Dr. Yasir Mohamed

Biography

Yasir A. Mohamed is a civil engineer by training and specialised in hydroclimatology and water resources. He is presently professor of water resources management and Director General of the Hydraulic Research Centre, HRC-Sudan, formerly known as HRS-Sudan. As a joint appointee, he is associate professor of water resources management at UNESCO-IHE, The Netherlands.

Yasir has a wide experience in hydrological modelling, water resources systems, operation of irrigation schemes, remote sensing applications, and regional climate modelling. He started his career at the HRS-Sudan, in 1985, where he did irrigation water management, and hydrology research. He obtained his diploma, and subsequently MSc in 1990 from IHE, Delft, and later in 2005 his PhD – on hydroclimatology of the Nile, from the same institute.

He worked for WL|Delft Hydraulics on the development of the flood early warning system for the Nile River in Sudan (1991 to 92), and for the Indus System in Pakistan (1995 to 98). He worked between 1999 and 2002, on 2D and 3D modelling (Delft 3D) for water circulation around Abu Dhabi Island, UAE. Between 2006 and 2009, Yasir joined the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), as a senior researcher at the Addis Ababa Office, where he led different research projects on hydrology and water resources, with emphasis on the Nile Basin.

Since 2006, Yasir has been teaching and contributing to curriculum development with UNESCO-IHE in Delft, and in the developing countries (Egypt, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Tanzania, Sudan). He has several publications in international journals and conferences. He is a guest editor of the Journal of Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, and Journal of Spatial Hydrology.

Publications

Articles in refereed journals

M. Temesgen, S. Uhlenbrook, B. Simane, P. van der Zaag, Y. Mohamed, J. Wenninger, H. H. G. Savenije. 2011. Impacts of conservation tillage on the hydrological and agronomic performance of Fanya Juus in the upper Blue Nile (Abbay) River basin., accepted in HESS-2011-271.

Mohamed, Y.A., Bastiaanssen, W.G.M., Savenije, H.H.G., van den Hurk, B.J.J.M. Finlayson, C.M., 2011. Wetland versus open water evaporation: An analysis and literature review. J. Phys. Chem. Earth. [doi:10.1016/j.pce.2011.08.005].

Hamid, S.H., Adeeb, A., Mohamed, Y.A., 2010, Towards a performance oriented management for large scale irrigation systems. Case study Rahad Scheme Sudan. ICID, Irrig. and Drain. [doi: 10.1002/ird.546].

Tekleab S., Uhlenbrook, S., Mohamed, Y.A., Savenije, H.H.G., Temesgen, M., Wenninger, J., 2011. Water balance modeling of Upper Blue Nile catchments using a top-down approach. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 15, 2179–2193, 2011, www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/15/2179/2011/ [doi:10.5194/hess-15-2179-2011].

Betrie, G.D., van Griensven, A., Mohamed, Y.A., Popescu, I., Mynett, A.E., Hummel, S., 2011. Linking SWAT and SOBEK using open modelling interface (OPENMI) for sediment transport simulation in the Blue Nile. Transactions of the ASABE. 54(5): 1749-1757.

Betrie, G.D, Mohamed, Y.A., van Griensven, A., Srinivasan, R. Mynett, A. 2011. Sediment management modelling in the Blue Nile Basin using SWAT model. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 15, 807–818, www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/15/807/2011/, doi:10.5194/hess-15-807-2011

Conference Papers

Mohamed, Y.A., 2012. Impact of climate variability on the hydrology of the Sudd wetland: signals derived from long term (1910 to 2010) water balance computations. The 9th INTECOL International Wetlands Conference, Orlando, USA.

Osman, E., B. Schultz, Suryadi, Mohamed, Y.A., Akod. 2011. Improving the operation and mainatennace for better sediment and water managment in Gezira Scheme, Sudan. ICID Conference, 15-23 October, Tehran, Iran.

Mohamed, Y.A., Thamotharampillai, T., Mamad, N., Mul, M., Van der Zaag, P., 2011. Assessment of irrigation performance of large irrigation systems using satellite data: the case of the Gezira Scheme, Sudan. ICID Conference, 15-23 October, Tehran, Iran.

Micha Werner, Jan Vekade, and Yasir A. Mohamed. 2011. Flood forecasting in developing countries: Challenges and Sustainability. EGU General Assembly 2011, Vienna, Austria.

Recent and ongoing research projects at UNESCO-IHE

Blue Nile

In Search of Sustainable Catchments and Basin-wide Solidarities; Transboundary Water Management of the Blue Nile River Basin; with IWMI, Addis Ababa and Khartoum Universities and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NWO/WOTRO funded; 2008-2012); see http://www.unesco-ihe.org/BlueNile.

Smallholder Systems Innovations (SSI-2)

he Smallholder Systems Innovations (SSI) research focuses on the semi-arid areas of sub-Saharan Africa, where 95% of all agricultural land is used for rain-fed agriculture. The finished SSI-I project (2003-2009) focused on the on-farm improvements. Following from that, SSI-II investigates the circumstances under which they can create synergies with other environmental goals, and how these can be institutionalized. see [link 1], [link 2]

Operationalization of Delft-FEWS software for Flood Forecasting and Flood early Warning System in Sudan

Upgrading of the Sudan flood early warning system, Sudan-FEWS. in cooperation with Deltares.

NPT Ethiopia

This project addresses the important task of training specialists in the water sector in Ethiopia to further develop the Ethiopian higher education sector. It will prepare and implement post-graduate Master’s programmes in Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) in various universities in Ethiopia. see http://www.universitywatersectorpartnership.org/

Recent and ongoing projects with HRS-Sudan

Spate irrigation systems project, Sudan

The Spate Irrigation for Rural Economic Growth and Poverty Alleviation research project, aims at conducting problem oriented research and implementing capacity building and knowledge sharing programs for spate systems in four countries (Ethiopia, Yemen, Pakistan, Sudan). The Sudan component is working on the Gash River as a case study. The project is implemented together with UNESCO-IHE, The Netherlands, and it is funded by IFAD, see http://www.hrs-sudan.sd/spate-irrigation-project/spate-irrigation

Smart ICT for Weather and Water Information and Advice to Smallholders in Africa, Sudan component

The objective of this project is to promote innovative approaches and ICT-based technologies for weather, water and crop related information and give advice to relevant end-users. Project has its pilot sites in Sudan, Ethiopia, Egypt and Mali. In Sudan the pilot site is located in the Gash River catchment and command area covers aspects related to agricultural water management and Flood Early Warning System (FEWS). The project is led by IWMI and funded by IFAD.

The Water Balance Dynamics of the Machar Marshes, South Sudan

To understand the seasonal dynamics of the wetland using different approaches: SWAT modelling, remote sensing, and water accounting computation. This is an assignment for ENTRO, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Calibration of Gezira off-take structures, Sudan

To resolve the conflict between water suppliers (operation engineer of the Sennar Dam), and the users (the Gezira Scheme), an extensive discharge measurement program has been conducted at the headworks of the two main canals. New calibration equation has been derived.

Development of Flood manual for Eastern Nile, Sudan

This project prepared a “design, operation and maintenance of flood embankment manual” to support stakeholders of the Eastern Nile in Sudan to protect themselves against river flooding. Training has been conducted on the use of the manual with example projects to government and NGO’s staff working on flood protection. This project has been carried out for ENTRO, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Ingeet irrigation system study, Sudan

This project performs a prefeasibility study for agricultural development in the Ingeet Island. This is a project by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Baro-Akobo-Sobat hydrological study, Ethiopia, Sudan

Consultancy assignment in cooperation with ENTRO.

Sediment & Water Quality Monitoring for the EN Basin - Sudan

Consultancy assignment in cooperation with ENTRO.