Spatio-temporal Hydrological Variability under Changing Climate in the Omo-Gibe River Basin of Ethiopia

Considering the use of water resource in a sustainable manner and forecasting the future likelihood patterns of this resource under different scenarios can help to mitigate and adapt the multi dimensional impact of climate change. Omo-Gibe River basin is one of the highest socio-economic development sites due to its numerous hydro potential for hydropower and irrigation. However, in recent years, the climate variations induced hydrological variability poses a challenge on decision making for planning and operation of hydropower plants. Hence, there should be a better understanding and projection of all the systems which can lead to a sustainable and optimal use of water for the intended purpose of generating power. The main goal of this study is to synthesize and understand future water resources distribution over space and time, and the extent of climate change induced hydrological variability impact on the generation capacity of the cascade hydropower plants in the Omo-Gibe River basin. An attempt has been made to collate historical and future projected downscaled climate data under different climatic scenarios from different sources. After applying hydrological modelling on the Omo-Gibe River basin with a catchment area of 79,000km2, preliminary result shows there is considerable hydrological variability over space and time which will have consequences on the generation capacity of the cascade hydropower plants across the basin.