Prof. Jaco Gericke
NRF Rating: C2
Associate Professor & Head of Department: Civil Engineering
Qualifications: BSc (Hons) Appl. Sci. (Water Resources Eng.) | MSc Eng. (Civil Eng.) | PhD Eng. (Agric. Eng.) | PrEng (ECSA)
Professional Background
Prof. O.J. Gericke is an experienced Professional Engineer (PrEng, ECSA) with over 25 years of professional and academic experience, primarily in the fields of hydrology, water resources management, and river hydraulics.
He has represented the Central University of Technology (CUT) at the Water Research Commission (WRC) and the South African National Committee on Large Dams (SANCOLD) since 2014, contributing significantly to the strategic implementation of the National Flood Studies Programme (NFSP).
Key Research Initiatives & Leadership
- Leading high-impact research projects funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering (United Kingdom) and the Water Research Commission (WRC).
- Driving innovation in design flood estimation, catchment response time modelling, and areal reduction factors for South African conditions.
- Co-authoring national best practice guidelines and regionalised approaches for municipal design flood estimation.
Areas of Expertise
- • Hydrology & River Hydraulics
- • Design Rainfall Estimation
- • Design Flood Estimation
- • Flood Risk Assessment
- • Catchment Response Time Modelling
- • Water Resources Management
Selected Publications
Top Journal Articles
- • Gericke, OJ, Pietersen, JPJ, Smithers, JC & Du Plessis, JA. 2024. Alternative streamflow-based approach to estimate catchment response time in medium to large catchments: case study in Primary Drainage Region X, South Africa. Water SA, 50(1), 20–31.
https://doi.org/10.17159/wsa/2024.v50.i1.4067 → - • Pietersen, JPJ, Gericke, OJ & Smithers, JC. 2023. Derivation of long duration geographically-centred areal reduction factors for catchment design rainfall estimation in South Africa. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 50, 101542.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2023.101542 → - • Gericke, OJ & Williams, VH. 2023. Could a one-size-fits-all approach apply to the extension of stage-discharge relationships at flow-gauging weirs? Journal of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering, 65(2), 17–27, e1568.
https://doi.org/10.17159/2309-8775/2023/v65n2a3 → - • Gericke, OJ. 2021. Assessment of at-site design flood estimation methods using an improved event-based design flood estimation tool. Journal of Flood Risk Management, e12710.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12710 → - • Allnutt, CE, Gericke, OJ & Pietersen, JPJ. 2020. Estimation of time parameter proportionality ratios in large catchments: case study of the Modder-Riet River Catchment, South Africa. Journal of Flood Risk Management, 13, e12628.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12628 →
Key Technical Reports & Guidelines
- • Brooker, CJ, Du Plessis, JA, Dunsmore, SJ, Gericke, OJ & Smithers, JC. 2023. A Best Practice Guideline for Design Flood Estimation in Municipal Areas in South Africa. WRC/IMESA Report No. C2021/2022-00724. Water Research Commission and Institute of Municipal Engineers of South Africa, Pretoria, RSA.
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Gericke, OJ, Pietersen, JPJ, Smithers, JC, Du Plessis, JA, Allnutt, CE & Williams, VH. 2022. Development of a Regionalised Approach to Estimate Areal Reduction Factors and Catchment Response Time Parameters for Improved Design Flood Estimation in South Africa. WRC Report No. K5-2924. Water Research Commission, Pretoria, RSA.
Top Conference Presentations
- • Pietersen, JPJ, Gericke, OJ & Smithers, JC. (2023). The impact of different approaches on the estimation of long duration geographically-centred areal reduction factors. Proceedings, 28th General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), Berlin, Germany.
https://doi.org/10.57757/IUGG23-0553 → - • Gericke, OJ, Williams, VH & Van der Spuy, D. (2023). Assessment of indirect estimation methods to extend stage-discharge relationships for above-structure-limit conditions at flow-gauging weirs. Proceedings, 28th General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), Berlin, Germany.
https://doi.org/10.57757/IUGG23-0546 → - • Gericke, OJ, Pietersen, JPJ, Smithers, JC & Du Plessis, JA. (2023). Direct estimation of catchment response time in medium to large catchments. Proceedings, 28th General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), Berlin, Germany.
https://doi.org/10.57757/IUGG23-0548 → - • Nwodo, JC, Gericke, OJ & Woyessa, YE. (2023). Re-engineering of existing wastewater stabilisation ponds for improved contaminant removal. Proceedings, Southern-African Nordic Centre (SANORD) Conference, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Hamar, Norway.
- • Gericke, OJ & Pietersen, JPJ. (2019). Areal reduction factors for design rainfall estimation in the Modder-Riet River Basin, South Africa. Proceedings, 10th River Basin Management Conference, WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment, WIT Press (234): 31–40, Alicante, Spain.
https://doi.org/10.2495/RBM190041 →
