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Prerequisites
Identical coursesWater Resources Management 2: EU and International Framework (B-KUL-I0D22A)
English
52 
First term
Cannot be taken as part of an examination contractCannot be taken as part of a credit contract
Van Cauwenbergh Nora (coordinator) | Eisenreich Steven | Van Cauwenbergh Nora 
Vrije Universiteit BrusselAims
Students will gain practical insights into the concept of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), including a broad range of issues, namely social, economic, political and institutional aspects of water management as well as environmental impact assessment studies related to water resource projects.
This course is taught at VUB (syllabus).
Order of Enrolment
You can only take this course if you have to acquire no more than 90 credits to obtain your degree.
Is included in these courses of study
- Master of Water Resources Engineering (Leuven et al) (Option Specialized Knowledge and Skills in Water Resources Engineering and Modelling) 120 ects.
- Master of Water Resources Engineering (abridged programme 60 ECTS) (Leuven et al) 60 ects.
- Courses for Exchange Students Faculty of Bioscience Engineering (Leuven)
Activities
5 ects. Water Resources Management 2: EU and International Framework (B-KUL-I0D22a)
Content
This course is taught at Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
IWRM principles will be presented around the implementation experiences currently developed in Europe under the European Union Water Framework Directive and parent legislation. In particular, the way river basin management is carried out, based on the Driver-Pressure-Impact-Status-Response (DPSIR) principles (including Environmental Impact assessment (EIA)), monitoring, action programmes, forms the core of the course which provides the theoretical backbone for comparing the situation in Europe with the one of developing countries.
The aim is to bring the students to reflect upon the many different facets of water resource management on the basis of the EU experience, and be able to extrapolate these to different case studies (preferably from their own country or region). The course also highlights how water resource management may be affected by climate change impacts, and how this is readily anticipated in many countries through adaptation plans (linked or not to policies).
Finally, a part of the course examines how to best integrate research and technological developments into water resources management practices, highlighting the need for knowledge sharing and exchanges among a wide range of disciplines, sectors and stakeholders.
On the basis of the above theoretical background, the students will be invited to present case studies illustrating various water resource management examples in the country/region of their choice, providing their own recommendations about solutioning identified problems. This will be followed by debates with the class, in order to ensure interactive discussions on a wide range of water issues.
At the end of the course, the students will be able to understand the complex features of IWRM, to conduct a first elementary analysis (socio-economic, institutional, environmental) of a given situation and provide recommendations about ways to solution a problem (or determine what needs to be done to complete this first evaluation). The experience gathered will be presented by the students in the form of a short report summarising the essential socio-economic, environmental, political, instiutional aspects of their case studies.
Format: more information
26 hrs/2 credits theory; 26 hrs/2 credits of practical; 26 hrs/1 credits of assignment/guided self-study
Evaluation
Evaluation: Water Resources Management 2: EU and International Framework (B-KUL-I2D22a)
Explanation
• Written exam carried out on the basis of three elements: oral presentation opened to debate with the class, report and self/peer assessment. The way of asking questions is based on open debates with all the class after each presentation, i.e. the professor and the classmates ask questions to each of the presenters. Submission of the individual tasks and participation is mandatory and no final examination is allowed without submission of the tasks.
• The oral presentations have to be done during the course period (end September to early December) while the report has to be to submitted by the deadline of 15th January
Information about retaking exams
Oral presentation to be done in early September and a report to be submitted the same day