Estimating Sediment Yield on the Capanda Dam Capacity in the Mid-Kwanza Watershed Using the SWAT Hydrological Modeling

2. Group of Hydrology and Water Resources, Faculty of Engineering, Agostinho Neto University, Angola

Abstract: Sedimentation is considered one of the significant deteriorations of a lake or reservoir, resulting from the sediment yield process in the catchment. The most effective method to control reservoir sedimentation is the control of sediment production at sources. This study aims to determine reservoir sedimentation by using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The area chosen to perform the studies is Mid-Kwanza (an active agricultural area), where meteorological data from 1998 to 2019 were used for the simulation of both streamflow and sediment load at the main rivers feeding into the Capanda Reservoir. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to determine the most sensitive parameters for streamflow and sediment load simulation Calibration and Validation were held from 2001 to 2006 and from 2010 to 2012. Model performance ranged from satisfactory to very good, regarding obtaining quantitative statistics. The results comprise the spatial distribution of flow, the sediment load, and sediment yield, which are useful for determining problematic sub-catchment to prompt immediate sediment control measures.