The newest post and image entries are on top of the page. Scroll from the bottom upwards to follow the flow status timelineof the Ruaha River per location
Alert Three
On September 28, 2023 the critical drainage flow from Usangu Rice Plain dropped under an assumed 8 cumecs. The current expected period left before zero flow in the Ruaha River at the Park HQ is about one month.
Alert Two
Alert Phase Two connected to the first observation of zero flow in the Ruaha River in the dry season upstream of Mtera Reservoir (Tanzania), is declared on August 26.
The bend in the Ruaha River some few kilometers upstream of the confluence of the Great and Little Ruaha Rivers shows exposed sandbanks (yellow) and pools (dark blue) with stagnant water. Some subsurface flow will still continue for some time. The Sentinel-2 band 8 image width is 1.3km. For details visit procedure.(Click to enlarge)
Alert One
The period July 27, 2023 and August 8, 2023 had some cloudy days which may have delayed the occurrence of Alert One with one week or more. Alert One is now announced on August 8, 2023. Compare the Landsat 7 images of one month before zero flow at Mtera in 2022 and 2023.
Landsat 7 the color manipulated image has a resolution of 30m/px resampled to 5m/px expaining the blurred image of the Ruaha at Mtera on August 8, 2023The Landsat 7 image one month before occurrence of zero flow at Mtera on July 11, 2022 compares well with the image on the left. (Click to enlarge)
Status Flow Mtera June 7, 2023
Flow in Ruaha on June 7, 2023. For Alert 1 the second channel in the river bend at the left still needs to dry but river shrinking concluding from the increased exposure of the sandbank since June 2 (below) . See also Mtera River Section section 2023. (Click to enlarge)
Status Flow Mtera June 2, 2023
On June 2, 2023 the Mtera Ruaha sections for spotting the start of Alert 1 (left) and the season’s first Zero Flow (Alert 2) are still swollen with water. The width of the image is 2.5km. (Click to enlarge)
Status Flow Mtera May 18, 2023
The Ruaha River just upstream of the confluence with the Little Ruaha is still swollen without signs of the upcoming dry season and drying of the river at the selected section of the Great Ruaha which dries first every year.
The near infrared image of May 18, 2023 shows about 2km (width of image) of the Ruaha River which is swollen with flood plain full of swamp vegetation (red) and filled pools.
