In collaboration with the Ministry of Energy and Water – Government of Afghanistan, ICIMOD organized a training on J2000 hydrological modelling of the Panjshir catchment of the Kabul sub-river basin from 25 October to 4 November 2018 in New Delhi, India. In continuation of this joint effort, SWaRMA is organizing an on-the-job-training from 1 April to 16 May 2019 to develop the J2000 model for selected catchments of the Kabul sub-river basin. The training will be held at the ICIMOD headquarters in Kathmandu, Nepal.

J2000 is a standard hydrological model within the Jena Adaptable Modelling System (JAMS) framework. It provides a flexible, component-based environmental modelling framework in which major hydrological processes are described as an encapsulated process and can be adapted on the basis of data availability in the catchment of interest. The JAMS/J2000 offers a very flexible modelling environment and has a simple graphical user interface, data analysis tool, online/offline-based calibration, sensitivity, and uncertainty analysis toolbox.

With this flexible modelling environment, JAMS-based models have been successfully applied in different parts of the world to meet the current challenges in sustainable management of land and water resources, as well as to understand erosion, nutrient transport, and crop growth processes. These models are widely used and have been adapted to demonstrate the importance of hydrological processes in the Himalayan region. Glacier melt processes have been also adapted and tested for glacier melt processes in major river basins, including in the Mount Everest region.

Objective

This on-the-job training aims to provide co-learning opportunities to enhance the capacity of Afghanistan partners in water resources management in Afghanistan by applying the J2000 hydrological model in the selected catchments of the Kabul sub-river basin.

The specific objectives are as follows:

Set up the J2000 model for the selected catchments of the Kabul sub-river basin

Conduct water balance assessment and determine various components of the hydrograph for the selected catchments of the basin

Understand the snow and glacier dynamics and groundwater and evapotranspiration processes in the selected catchments of the basin on the basis of the model’s output

Prepare a report on the basis of the water balance assessment and analysis of the developed model’s output