プロフィール（Sameh Kantoush）

Human activities like dam construction, irrigation expansion, deforestation, sand mining, and land use changes affect water flow and sediments in river basins worldwide. This impact is felt in countries such as Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, and various parts of Africa, posing threats to food security, water supply, river ecosystems, and community resilience. River deltas like the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD) are sinking and shrinking continuously.

I am involved in projects managing flash floods in the Middle East, North Africa (MENA), and Southeast Asia. My research focuses on enhancing the resilience of hydraulic infrastructures, water systems, river ecosystems, agricultural production, and local communities in the face of changing climates and multiple hazards. We achieve this through smart monitoring, mitigation measures, and strategies, including developing improved dams and reservoir systems and ensuring natural sediment dynamics to improve river ecosystem conditions. My research interests include hydrological modeling in urban and basin scales, hydrodynamic models for reservoir sedimentation and river morphodynamics, hydropower optimization, dam management, dam impacts, riverbank erosion, geomorphological changes, modeling of sediment production, sand mining impacts, and environmental restoration in Vietnam, the Philippines, and Japan.

We are also researching "Wadi" flash floods in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to address global flood and sediment issues. "Wadi" is an Arabic term for a dry river channel, similar to a river basin or valley. Flash floods in the arid MENA region have become more severe and frequent due to climate change. We are sharing our expertise and practices from Japan on flood and sediment management with Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam. Consequently, my research group has proposed an improved strategy for disaster risk reduction and hydropower optimization while ensuring water resources management in different river basins.

In conclusion, most river and wadi basins, whether national or international, face similar challenges in flood and sediment management. Developing unique approaches and interventions for integrated river basin management is essential.