Lesego Kgotlhang, what are your expectations of your year at ETH Zurich, professionally and personally?

I hope to learn about tools and techniques that will enable me to play a worthwhile scientific role in the management of the Okavango Delta system (ODS) – but also in water resource management in general. And it would be wonderful if my experience at ETH brought me additional chances as a scientist.

Caption: From mid-October the first NIDECO Scholarship holder at ETH: Lesego Kgotlhang, hydrogeologist from Botswana.

What challenges does Botswana face with regard to your scientific discipline?

There is a great lack of local know-how in the management of water resources in Botswana. To work as an engineer for the government doesn't yet mean that one can unfold one's scientific potential. Working on very complex projects one tends to spend too much time working on administrative matters instead of technical problems. The situation is no different for young engineers working in industry.

Caption: At the centre of a lot of interest: the fascinating landscape of the Okavango Delta in Botswana. (Picture: Botswana Tourism) large

Their work is often reduced to recording data. Analyses are often carried out by foreign experts. But very little knowledge flows from them back to the native engineers. Our dependency on foreign know-how is correspondingly great.

How important is the scientific support from ETH for water management in the Okavango Delta?

Intensive collaboration between ETH and the National Department of Water Affairs in Botswana has existed for roughly the past then years. ETH is heavily involved in the Okavango Delta project. This study is very important because it opens the way for further research in the Okavango Delta, on the subjects of salt transport or sediment formation from sand and mud, for example.

Judging from your own experiences how does the know-how transfer from science to politics function?

The Okavango Delta is a political bone of contention. Ecologists call for its conservation because of its unique flora and fauna and want to protect it from intervention as far as possible. On the other hand, Botswana's government wants to fulfil its political mandate and ensure water supplies to the population of the Delta, which calls for infrastructural changes. The sources of the river systems lie in the southern hills of Angola. From there the water flows through north Namibia, until it eventually reaches the northwestern corner of Botswana where it drains into the extensive Okavango marshes and forms an untouched Delta. Neighbour's actions, therefore, also influence the Delta and Botswana cannot afford to be complacent when neighbouring states plan to intervene in the river system. There is talk of a water supply project along the river on Namibia's territory. What is needed, therefore, is an agreement between the two countries. The role of science is to provide decision-makers with scenarios of their politics, giving them firm ground on which to base their decisions. I hope to learn skills at ETH, which will enable me to make a contribution here.