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Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) Training

WEAP_Training_Cover

On the 28th of June, Stockholm Environment Institute Asia Center (SEI Asia) hosted and organized an online training on Water Evaluation and Planning System (WEAP) with funding support of the Swedish Government through SEI Rapid Response Fund. 

WEAP is a tool designed for integrated water resources planning that allows users to model natural hydrological system as well as man-made infrastructures, their development, and operations. The software's capability to simulate scenarios helps users to predict impacts of various changes within the basin, from climate change, land use change to new reservoir construction. It provides a comprehensive, flexible, and user-friendly framework for planning and policy analysis.

The training is being provided by SEI, an international, independent, no-profit research institute whose mission is to bridge science, policy and practice to develop the best science possible to support policy making processes around the world focusing on sustainable development.

The objectives of the training are being able to build capacity and skills among the civil societies organizations and academic institutes to use the WEAP software and provide a deeper understanding of how WEAP can support in planning water allocation through scenario analysis and engagement of diverse stakeholders in an open decision- making process.

The approach of the training is to use a basic WEAP model to explore the various features and functionalities of the software and look at the previously developed WEAP models in Chindwin and Sittaung river basins of Myanmar to discuss the impacts of climate change on flows, domestic demands, agriculture demands and other key uncertainties and how the tool can be used to consider various response strategies by providing hands-on training, ensuring all participants actively engage and learn, with a consideration for gender balance in participants and participation.

In the pre-workshop session, each participants introduce themselves and trainers and resource persons helped with installing WEAP application, checking material, camera, microphone and registering license.

The workshop overview are as follow:

  • Session 1: Introduction and Icebreaking
  • Session 2: Baseline WEAP Setup
  • Session 3: Scenario analysis
  • Session 4: Discussion 

Session 1: Introduction and Icebreaking

The first session of the workshop started with an introduction to the training and overview of WEAP's application in Myanmar. Firstly, Dr. Chayanis Krittasudthacheewa, SEI Asia Deputy Director welcomed the Participants and then introduced Stockholm Environment Institute, SEI. She generally described the models and scenarios of LEAP and WEAP that have been used as decision support tools for Myanmar to prepare the Second National Communication UNFCCC report. She also explained the training objectives, approach and introduced Trainers and resource persons.

Secondly, Dr. Thanapon Piman, SEI Asia Senior Research Fellow discussed the overview of WEAP such as application, strength, and the types of result WEAP can produce. He also listed the organizations which are using the WEAP application to make decisions on the project and mentioned the result that WEAP can produce.

Lastly, we took some group photos and took a short 10 minutes coffee break to continue the next session. 

Group photo of training participants with trainers and resource persons 

Session 2: Baseline WEAP Setup 

Mr. Uttam Ghimire, SEI Asia Research Associate/Modeler was the trainer for WEAP one day workshop and he started the second session by confirming that every participant had downloaded the application and training files. He also helped with the license registration for the new participants. Then, he went straight into the lecture of developing a WEAP schematic, import land use information, input water demands information, calibration and validation of Soil Moisture model (Baseline simulation and finally demand and supply analysis. He demonstrated every step to make sure the participant's resulted are the same since this is important for the training in next session. 

After adding demand site and connect Chindwin river with Transmission Link and then with Return Flow Link
Adding the data of forest, barren, irrigated croplands, rainfed croplands, shubland and grassland, urban and water body in subasin 1

Session 3: Scenario analysis 

In the 3rd session, we reviewed the previous work and then continued with 10 minutes of Q and A session for the participants who got errors in the project. Then, the trainer demonstrated importing climate change scenarios and Baseline vs Scenario comparison. After that, Miss. Parichat Pinsri, SEI Asia Research assistant guided how we can present and download our project in different kinds of format.  

Scenario of the chart in different formats 

Session 4: Discussion  

At length, Ms. Than Htway Lwin, SEI Asia Myanmar National Coordinator who also helped out explaining the lecture in Burmese, requested the participants for completing the online survey as their feedback for today's training. Then, Mr. Kyaw Moe Aung, SNC-BUR Project Coordinator/National Consultant talked about the Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment of Climate Change in Myanmar with analyzed data and research papers.As a closing notes, Dr. Thanapon Piman said despite the short time and a lot of information to assimilate in one day training, he hoped that participants would gain a tangible foundation and would be able to apply the knowledge from this extensive training in their projects in the future .The participants also thanked the instructors for sharing valuable knowledge and training materials and showed appreciation to all the trainers an resource persons for sharing key information to start using WEAP and to organizers for the impressive and perfect training. It was the most knowledgeable and valuable one day training.  

Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment of Climate Change in Myanmar presentation by Mr. Kyaw Moe Aung

If you are interested in integrated water resources planning and want to model a natural hydrological system, you can download WEAP' software and materials here and watch the tutorials on Stockholm Environment Institute YouTube Channel.


Written by Hnin Wut Yee San, Intern at The Water Agency 
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