Catchment Delineation for Vjosa River WEAP model, using QGIS Software

Abstract

The Vjosa River (Aoös in Greece) is the second largest river basin of Albania and one of the main transboundary wild rivers in Europe. Actually, the Vjosa river basin, widely known for its beautiful landscapes and ecological values, offers an important national economic growth potential, coming mostly from the tourism sector. Vjosa River basin has no water management or hydrological model, nor a proper integrated management plan. Therefore, in 2016, a project under the framework of the EU Flood Protection Infrastructure Project (FPIP) was implemented at IGEWE. The main purpose was the development of an integrated hydrological and water management model for the Vjosa Basin to identify key vulnerabilities to climate change between the years 2015-2050, applying the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) system, by Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI). This paper describes details on the methodology used for the delineation of the Vjosa catchment, as a crucial part of the development of the hydrological model of the Vjosa river. The GIS model builder is introduced, as a first step of the Vjosa river WEAP model development.

Keywords

• catchment delineation
• hydrological model
• model development
• flow accumulation

Supporting Institution

The project had technical support from Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and was coordinated by UNDP in Albania

References

1. Assoc. Prof. Sotiraq Pandazi [e-mail] Assoc. Prof. Pandazi is a well-known hydrologist and hydraulician in Albania. He has worked for many years as a researcher/Head of Water Department at the Institute of Geosciences, Energy, Water, and Environment, under the Polytechnic University of Tirana. He is currently working for ELBA company as a project coordinator. Most of the time he is involved in implementing national and international projects.
2. Prof. Dr. Enkelejda Gjinali [e-mail] Prof. Gjinali is a Hydraulic Engineer working in the Faculty of Civil Engineering, under the Polytechnic University of Tirana. Her professional experience includes main aspects of water management, such as experience in integrated policy development, and integrated water resources management. She has also particular technical expertise in water distribution systems, etc.