The report summarizes the participation of Genie Lutonadio, PhD candidate at the University of Leeds, and Prof. Mark Trigg in the Water@Leeds Confluence 2025 held on October 16, 2025. The event brought together over 80 researchers from multiple disciplines to exchange insights on water-related studies and to launch the Water@Leeds Virtual Museum, which showcased creative science communication through videos and artworks.
The lightning talks covered diverse themes such as hydrological change, climate impacts, sanitation, flood risk management, and water quality. Several presentations were particularly relevant to the research project on water flux dynamics between the Congo River and the Cuvette Centrale wetlands. These included:
- The use of global datasets for refugee flood risk management (M. Trigg);
- Vegetation loss and hydrological responses on Congo River islands (J. Steadman) ;
- Managing water-borne disease risk in cholera-endemic Bangladesh (P. Mazumdar) ;
- Sanitation and flood challenges in Nairobi’s informal settlements (J. Wallace) ;
- River carbon emissions in relation to flow dynamics (K. Theivendrarajah).
The event fostered interdisciplinary networking among researchers in geography, engineering, biology, and social sciences, creating valuable opportunities for future collaboration under the Congo Basin Science Initiative (CBSI).
The report highlights the alignment between CBSI’s goals and the Water@Leeds missions—namely: conducting innovative research, strengthening global partnerships, generating positive societal and environmental impact, and training the next generation of water experts. The virtual exhibition “More than Water, Knowledge Confluence” also provided inspiration for creative approaches to scientific outreach and communication.
Finally, the report recommends maintaining active engagement with Water@Leeds and its Hydrology and Fresh Water Observatory to enhance visibility, collaboration, and interdisciplinary knowledge exchange in advancing hydrological research within the Congo Basin.
