Water Management in Developing Countries - 2024 entry

This module is aimed at developing your understanding of water management issues, implications and potential interventions meeting developing countries’ complex needs and resources constraints and therefore support an inclusive socioeconomic progress for diverse communities through an improved provision of water related services. The module aims to cover a range of engineering, design and sustainability aspects associated with the three urban water flows (i.e. water supply, storm water and wastewater) management. Current situation analysis and the effectiveness of interventions is explored using a range of resources including computational tools and numerous case studies from developing countries. The module also includes external guest speakers providing insights into current issues and evolving approaches keeping in view communities needs. By the end of the module, you should be able to understand the water management challenges in developing countries and propose approaches to overcome them.

This module aims to provide an understanding of water management in developing countries and equip you with skills to analyse and design low cost and resource efficient alternatives for improved urban water management in developing countries contexts reflecting a range socio economic and environmental constraints. Topics covered include water management challenges, institutional and governance aspects, groundwater management, health implications, wastewater treatment, intermittent supply systems, leakage management, flood risk assessment and management, urban drainage, low cost wastewater treatment and onsite/off site sanitation meeting cultural needs and contextual constraints.

Prior knowledge of engineering processes is desired, but the module is designed as a standalone course and the background theory required is provided in the class textbooks. The module is suitable for participants with in a civil and/or environmental engineering degree. Non-specialist candidates with an interest in water management can benefit from the course, provided they have a scientific background and can understand basic engineering and chemistry concepts.

Discipline and Module Intended Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

Discipline Specific Skills and Knowledge:

1. Adopt an inclusive approach to engineering practice and recognise the responsibilities, benefits and importance of supporting equality, diversity and inclusion at various phases (e.g. design, execution, operation, etc.) of engineering projects. (C11)

Module Specific Skills and Knowledge:

2. Design/analyse solutions for complex problems (for managing urban water flows in developing countries) that evidence some originality and meet a combination of societal and user needs. This includes consideration of applicable health & safety, diversity, inclusion, cultural, societal, environmental and commercial matters and engineering practice/codes. (M5)

Personal and Key Transferable / Employment Skills and Knowledge

3. Prove independence and self-direction in problem solving and decision-making.

Water Resources in Developing Countries (Hydrology, watershed and water resources management, Major basins and economic situation and water resources development).

Threats to Water Resources in Developing Countries Policy and legislation, corruption and law evasion, anthropological impacts to water resources, climate change: resilience and adaptation.

Groundwater resources management (modelling of flow and solute transport in soils, seawater intrusion modelling and control (including effect of sea level rise and over-abstraction).

Small community water supply systems (sustainability, health protection, cost-recovery, basic demand calculations, financial sustainability, etc and decision making for design and O&M for these systems).

Intermittent water supply systems (causes/effects, advantages and disadvantages, design and operation coping costs, conversion from IWS to continuous system, leakage management).

Urban drainage in developing countries.

Flood risk/storm water management under fast growth scenarios.

Water related disease / health implication.

Low cost wastewater treatment, design and operation considerations for waste stabilisation ponds (e.g. anaerobic, facultative and maturation ponds).

On and off site sanitation including dry sanitation.

Case studies.

Reading list for this module:

Reading list for this module: