This quot;Operational SWAT+ Limpopo River Basin Seasonal Forecasting Systemquot; report outlines the development and implementation of an automated hydrological forecasting system using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool Plus (SWAT+). This system leverages publicly available global datasets and open-source modeling tools integrated within a custom developed automated system to predict seasonal water availability in the Limpopo River Basin (LRB). Key components include integrating the CHIRPS (Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data.) and ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) precipitation data, comprehensive database management, and real-time monitoring scripts. The system provides accurate and timely water availability forecasts within the LRB to support operational decision making. Future directions focus on improving model calibration, incorporating additional weather variables, better representation of large reservoirs and irrigated areas, applying database optimization procedures, and transitioning to a Docker-based deployment on Amazon Web Services (AWS) for improved scalability and reliability. This SWAT+ operational seasonal forecasting system for the LRB marks a significant step towards bridging a key knowledge gap in the basin to support better decision making on multiple water uses and users including provision for environmental flows. This seasonal forecasting system as a part of the larger river basin Digital Twin is designed to influence effective water resource management in the Southern African region.

As part of the CGIAR Initiative on Digital Innovation, GroundTruth, in partnership with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), investigated the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to aid in performing bathymetric and water quality surveys. A key outcome of the research and development within this collaboration has been the design and construction of a low-cost survey system comprising a survey vessel equipped with multiple sensors that collect water quality and bathymetric data and can be connected to a UAV. Traditional point-sampling methods limit comprehensive assessments of river health over large spatial areas. This challenge was addressed by developing a drone-towed survey vessel for spatially extensive water quality and depth data collection. The aim of developing the survey vessel was to improve the data collection process which could be useful to further develop the linkages between river flow regimes and water quality parameters. The vessel that was built was equipped with temperature sensors to capture thermal variations across a section of the river, a Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) sensor to monitor total dissolved solids, a Sound Navigation and Ranging (SoNAR) device to map variations in the riverbed profile, a turbidity sensor to provide a measure of water clarity and a Global Positioning System (GPS) module for precise geotagging of all sensor readings. The system was tested at the Lions River in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and the drone-tethered data collection vessel enabled a safe and efficient survey of a river segment. The system was used to collect high-resolution data related to water quality along a reach of the river. The depth data acquired from the vessel was integrated with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data to generate detailed bathymetric maps for the site. This highlights the potential for expansion in terms of data collection capabilities compared to traditional point sampling methods.

Challenges in food systems, landscapes and water security call for research and innovation to advance transformation in these systems. Water lies at the center of the integrated approaches needed and it is for this reason that CGIAR and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) together prepared this CGIAR Water Systems Integration Roadmap 2024–2030. Poor communities continue to bear the largest burden of water insecurity, and the voices of women, young people and marginalized groups have few channels through which they can express their lived realities. Water insecurity thus threatens the world’s commitment to ‘leave no one behind.’ Recognizing this, CGIAR is taking an unprecedented step to ensure that its research and innovation lead the way in responding to water challenges. The time has come for CGIAR to seize the untapped potential for integrating water systems science and aligning research and innovation for water security across CGIAR programs and Research Centers. One CGIAR is declaring with one voice that a food-secure future can only exist in a water-secure world. This ambition is shared by the leadership of CGIAR and IWMI. We have created this CGIAR Water Systems Integration Roadmap 2024–2030 alongside the new IWMI Strategy 2024–2030. The two documents establish a common strategic framework, aligned to the CGIAR 2030 Research and Innovation Strategy, to strengthen the contribution of water systems science to the CGIAR Impact Areas. The IWMI Strategy 2024-2030 describes how IWMI applies this framework, while the CGIAR Water Systems Integration Roadmap 2024-2030 shows how the whole of CGIAR, including IWMI, can work together to transform water systems and enhance water security.