Thursday, February 7th 2013, 8:39 AM EST
This is part of Raphael’s famous fresco (wall painting) titled the School of Athens in the Vatican. I had the privilege of studying it during WWII when we had plenty of time to spare. The theme of the fresco is Philosophy and this part of the fresco shows Euclid teaching mathematics to a group of enthusiastic pupils. He has a pair of dividers symbolising measurement and is pointing to a visual image on a slate. His studies have enabled us to measure distances from a point on earth to a point on the moon with a high degree of accuracy. But we still cannot predict future rainfall and river flow other than in probabilistic terms.
This is the difference between accurate mathematical descriptions and broad probabilistic methods that we have so much difficulty in mastering.
It is a huge relief. It took a year to compile the handbook after which I had to wait another two years while the WRC who had financed the handbook refused to talk to me. The reason was that I dared to criticise the climate change issue. The WRC even refused to invite me to their 40th anniversary function.
Nearly twenty years ago when we were working in the pitiful conditions in Alexandra township two mothers came up to me. All that they said was ‘Help us please’. Nobody else was prepared to come to their assistance. With this firmly fixed in my mind, the WRC’s attitude made me even more determined to get the handbook published. I tried two ‘official’ avenues without success. They were sympathetic but my request was like asking them to put their heads into a hornet’s nest. When it became clear that no official avenues were brave enough I would have to search for an alternative route. My young family came to my help.
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Table of contents
Preface
Forward
Chapter 1 Introduction
Hydrology
Chapter 2 Applied hydrometeorology
Chapter 3 Analytical methods
Chapter 4 Hydrological statistics
Chapter 5 Extreme floods
Chapter 6 Time series analyses
Chapter 7 Solar linkage and climate predictability
Chapter 8 Water resource prediction model
Chapter 9 Extreme droughts
Water resource development
Chapter 10 Available water resources
Chapter 11 Storage-yield relationship
Chapter 12 Equitable water resource development
Chapter 13 Development of operating rules
Chapter 14 Optimisation procedures
Water resource management
Chapter 15 Multiple criteria decision making
Chapter 16 Numerical simulation models
Chapter 17 Flood alerts
Chapter 18 Drought operation
Chapter 19 Risk and society
Physical processes
Chapter 20 Climate change
Chapter 21 River mechanics
Chapter 22 Conservation of riverine ecosystems
Chapter 23 Conservation of estuaries
Chapter 24 Conservation of Mkuze swamp system
Chapter 25 Data files
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