INRTU Postgraduate Student Successfully Defends Dissertation on Ethiopia’s Water Resources
On July 1, Aghenehu Kitambo Yoshe defended his PhD dissertation at the Dissertation Council of Tomsk Polytechnic University. He became the first postgraduate student of INRTU’s Siberian School of Geoscience (SSG) to successfully defend a dissertation in Hydrogeology.
Yoshe’s dissertation, titled “Assessment of the Current State of Groundwater and Surface Water Resources in Central Ethiopia for Developing a Water Management Strategy”, was prepared at INRTU’s SSG. His academic supervisor was Larisa Auzina, PhD in Geological and Mineralogical Science, Associate Professor, and Head of the School’s Hydrogeology Laboratory.
The research focuses on an important problem: how water resources are formed and how they change in Central Ethiopia, where fresh water is in short supply for about half of the year. The study looked at both surface and groundwater, which are affected by natural and human factors.
Yoshe collected and analyzed data from different periods on the region’s geological and tectonic structure, as well as the hydrodynamic and hydrochemical properties of its water resources. He also assessed their potential for different types of water supply.
The dissertation presents a new water availability indicator based on several easy-to-measure factors. It can help identify areas for further water exploration and reduce the cost of such work. Yoshe also used modern data analysis methods, and geographic information technologies.
The study provides a better understanding of how water resources in Ethiopia are formed, distributed, and used. It creates a scientific basis for making decision about water management strategy in Central Ethiopia. They can also help improve the distribution of water resources between the main sectors that use them.
Larisa Auzina, praised his work and highlighted his professional skills, initiative, discipline, and ability to work hard.
“In just a year and a half, Yoshe completed extensive research and successfully prepared his dissertation for defense. He showed a clear approach to setting research tasks and a high level of performance. His hard work and determination allowed him to complete the dissertation a relatively short time,”
Larisa Auzina said.
The research results were presented at 15 international and national scientific conferences. Yoshe has published 20 papers on the topic of his dissertation, including 10 in journals indexed by Scopus and five in journals included in the Russian Higher Attestation Commission (VAK) list.
Yoshe thanked his academic supervisor, the SSG, and INRTU for their support:
“I would like to sincerely thank my academic supervisor, Associate Professor Larisa Auzina; Professor Viktor Chupin; Alexander Parshin, Head of the SSG; and all the School staff, especially the Hydrogeology Laboratory. Their support and help allowed me to complete my research and successfully defend my dissertation. Thank you very much!”
