Sydney Sichilima

17. You were chosen as a beneficiary of this scholarship, out of several applicants across the SADC region. How does this make you feel?

1. This will definitely help me achieve my future plans and long-term goals. By furthering my education in IWRM, I can work towards my career goals in the sustainable water management. I aim to make a difference in my community, and this scholarship will absolutely be the difference-maker when it comes to affording the education I need to do that and give back in the future.

17. What motivated you to take up studies in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)?

1. I believe there is no better place to continue my academic career in Integrated Water Resource Management than at the Namibia University of Science and Technology. I am confident that this PhD brings me a step closer to my goal of becoming an expert in Water Resource Management in developing countries.

17. What do you see as some of the greatest challenges being experienced in the IWRM sector, particularly in your home country?

1. Primary challenge in Zambia is the lack of infrastructure required for observation stations and remote data collection. The topography of the country also poses a challenge for reliable hydroinformatics data. In addition, record-keeping is not reliable.

    

The major challenges are listed below:

1. Lack of functioning hydrological stations

2. Lack of well equipped meteorological stations

3. Lack of Qualified personnel with the requisite expertise to collect hydrological data of our river basins.

When we talk about reliable hydrometeorological data in my country, the first question comes do we have enough ground data collection stations, are the stations maintained properly and instruments calibrated. Most data are accessed from open source data, remote sensing data which needs validation based on certain number of ground points. These are the primary challenges I foresee in getting reliable data in my country.

17. When it is all done and dusted, what would you like the impact of your research project to be?

1. I will ensure that my findings are published in international recognized peer reviewed journals and I will submit recommendations to relevant authorities and policy decision makers. I intend to come and contribute to Zambia positively through Lecturing, supervising undergraduate and postgraduate students and conducting research dealing in water resource management and other relevant disciplines.