Water Resources and Environmental Management

Degree
MSc

Duration
18 months

Starting date
20 September 2007

ECTS
118

Tuition fee
Euro 9,500

Security and sustainable development of our water resources is one of the key problems of the 21st century. Improved water management can make a significant contribution to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Current international initiatives such as the Global Earth Observation System of Systems 10-Year Implementation Plan have identified earth observation as the key to helping to solve the worlds water problems. The availability of spatial information on water resources will enable closure of the water budget at river basin scales to the point where effective water management as requested by the EU Water Framework Directive is possible. Floods, droughts, water quality, water-ecosystem and soil-water-climate interactions, and the sustainability of water resources are important issues in water resources management and hydrology.
The Water Resources and Environmental Management course exposes participants to developments in geo-information science and earth observation for assessment, monitoring and prediction in water resources, hydrology and environmental management. 16 1

For whom is the course relevant?

The course is designed for young and mid-career professionals (and organisations) involved in water resources, agriculture, irrigation, civil engineering, hydrology, (agro)meteorology and physical geography who are of BSc or MSc level and preferably have some years of professional experience.

What will be achieved?

Participants will develop skills in methods and techniques relevant to integrated watershed hydrology, groundwater, surface water and/or environmental hydrology. Case studies and fieldwork play a crucial role, enabling participants to acquire a working knowledge of modern tools and methods. Through real-life problem-oriented case studies, the course participants will be exposed to new methods of problem solving. Software for geo-information science, earth observation and hydrological models is provided, so participants will be able to apply their skills in their home organisations.

Course content
The course modules introduce participants to the use of computational methods in hydrology and the use of geoinformation science and earth observation for quantifying components of the water cycle. Water quality indicators also come under scrutiny, as do geostatistical methods. Specialisation modules are offered in four fields.

The key elements of this specialisation are actual evapotranspiration and latent heat flux estimations, combining ground meteorological data with low- and high-resolution images, and applications in irrigation management such as irrigation performance and water productivity. Water Engineering and Management This specialisation is given jointly with the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Twente. In the relating modules, attention is devoted to mathematical and engineering techniques, as well as to non-technical aspects of water management such as policy support and integrated assessment. This specialisation incorporates modules that deal with both technical and non-technical aspects of water management.

Postgraduate diploma course

The nine-month Water Resources and Environmental Management Postgraduate diploma course covers modules 1 to 12 of the MSc course. Details of this course can be found in our brochure Diploma and Certificate Programmes. To request this brochure, please contact education@itc.nl or visit our website www.itc.nl/education.

Groundwater Assessment and Modelling Groundwater forms a buffer of good-quality water for drought periods. However, this resource is threatened and affected by over-exploitation, contamination and climatic changes. This specialisation focuses on processes in the saturated and unsaturated zones, monitoring techniques, and the use of models for groundwater assessment and management. Integrated Watershed Modelling and Management There are two streams within this specialisation: (1) Watershed Management Watershed Management focuses on water quantity and hydrological and erosion processes on hillslopes and in catchments from local to regional scale. Topics include assessment, modelling, and the extraction of hydrological parameters from digital elevation models. (2) Environmental Hydrology Environmental Hydrology deals with environmental aspects, including the water quality management of fresh water, wetlands and coastal zones and the environmental impacts of water resource projects. Important topics include optical remote sensing of water quality, spatial and temporal analysis, the modelling of hydro-geochemical data, and environmental assessment. Water Resources Studies for Food Production Nowadays, irrigation systems have to produce more food while using less water resources. Earth observation techniques can be used extensively as a tool for improving irrigation and water resources management. This specialisation explores the physical concepts related to the acquisition of hydrological data from satellite images. These methods are also useful for managing rainfed agriculture and protecting ecologically sensitive wetland areas.

17 2

Joint degree programme

See als our joint degree programmes at page 18.