Modelling the Mtera-Kidatu reservoir system to improve integrated water resources management
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Date
2003
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Hydro Africa
Abstract
Failure of the Mtera-Kidatu Reservoir System within the Rufiji River Basin in Tanzania in the early 1990s is
investigated by considering four possible causes (i.e. sudden decrease in inflows, sudden increase in losses,
sudden increase in hydropower generation or unnecessary spills; or a combination of these) and it was
found out that unaccounted spillage seems to be the main cause. Consequently, the system’s simulation
model has been proposed in this paper that takes into consideration the flows that are generated in the
intervening catchment (i.e. catchment between Mtera and Kidatu) with the operational policy that maximum
power is produced at Kidatu most of the time because Kidatu has higher head for greater power generation
than at Mtera. The paper shows that if this proposed model had been in place then the Mtera Reservoir
should not have gone dry in the 1991-1994 period. The validity of the proposed model is tested with the
TALSIM 2.0 Model and the regression analysis of the water levels at Mtera Reservoir produced by the
models had an efficiency of 95%, indicating a very good correlation.
The proposed model operates the reservoir system in an integrated manner by considering the flows into the
Mtera Reservoir as well as accounting for the flows generated by the intervening catchment.
Description
Keywords
Reservoir systems, Simulation model, Operational policy, Integrated water resources management