Hydraulic Engineering - Land & Water Development

Start next run: October 2010
Duration: 18 Months
Location: UNESCO-IHE, Delft, the Netherlands

Participant profile

The land and water development engineer is concerned with the development, adaptation and management of land and water resources for the different types of land use, with a focus on agricultural purposes.

The typical participant has a BSc degree in agricultural or civil engineering with a hydraulic background. He or she has worked for at least three years in professional practice or in a university or research environment in irrigation, drainage and flood protection in agricultural areas or land and water development.

The participant is eager to acquire skills and knowledge to solve engineering, and water management or flood protection problems. Computer literacy is a valuable asset. Future careers may be in government services, consultancy, or education and research institutes.

Aim of the course

In keeping with the academic domain and normative activities, the overall aim of the HELWD specialisation is to generate new and advance current knowledge and skills with regard to development, management and adaptation of land and water resources for different types of use, with a focus on land use for agriculture. The guiding principle is the development of irrigation, drainage and flood protection infrastructure to meet an agreed level of service for an optimal balance between costs and benefits.

Approach to the course

Given the importance of both technical and non-technical aspects in land and water development and management, the HELWD specialisation courses and research works integrate:

• technology and management capacity;
• technology and environment (physical, social, economic, institutional, and environmental);
• agricultural and civil engineering aspects of development and management.

Course content and description

The HELWD specialisation consists of a total of 15 modules - each module has duration of three weeks. These are categorized as:

• three common Water Science and Engineering (WSE) modules (modules 1, 2 and 12);five specialisation specific modules (modules 3 to 7);
• three elective modules (modules 8, 10 and 11);
• three Institute-wide modules (modules 13, 14 and 15).

Module 9 consists of two weeks of international field trip, and this might be undertaken together with one or more of the other WSE specialisations; and a one-week field work, which is specialisation specific.

The specialisation modules - modules 3 to 7 - deal with the following subjects:

Module 3: Introduction to Land and Water Development: conceptualizes and analyses the
demand and supply of land and water resources on a global and regional scale to meet the present and future food requirements; discusses basic functions, elements and needs of and for irrigation and drainage systems and illustrates layout and design of primary and secondary irrigation and drainage networks, including canals, drains, roads and farms.

Module 4: Water Management Systems and Agronomy I: introduces applied hydraulics of irrigation and drainage systems, soil-water-crop yield relationships, water saving techniques, and water and drainage requirements, leading to the selection of appropriate irrigation and drainage methods and the design of an irrigation and drainage network at a tertiary unit level.

Module 5: Water Management Systems and Agronomy II: gives participants a comprehensive understanding of applied hydraulics in irrigation and drainage systems, water-crop yield relationships, management options under land or water scarcity and water saving techniques, and the ability to estimate crop water requirements and devise complex irrigation schedules matching water demand and supply.

Module 6: Aspects of Irrigation and Drainage: covers technical, economic, and sociological aspects of flow control and drainage, the selection of suitable systems and the economic feasibility of land development projects.

Module 7: Service Oriented Management of Irrigation Systems: demonstrates how to formulate objectives for irrigation, design water delivery systems, draw up a service agreement and an action plan for implementation, and design irrigation monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.

Module 9 (Field Work Part): this one-week practical course focuses on various types of flow measuring equipment, methods and techniques, pump and pipe, field channels, irrigation methods and soil characteristics.

These specialisation modules are preceded with two WSE common modules that acquaint the participants with broad practices and principles for managing and developing land and water resources. These common modules also introduce some important land and water analysis techniques such as GIS and remote sensing.

To give an added depth and breadth to certain specific technical, management and socio-economic aspects of land and water management and development, three elective modules are offered:

• Module 8: Conveyance Systems.
• Module 10: Irrigation and Drainage Structures.
• Module 11: Advanced Methods and Equipment

After successful competition of the above common, specialisation specific and elective modules as well as modules 9 and 12 (Group Work), the participants undertake individual MSc theses for 6 months during modules 14 and 15. The international field trip familiarizes the participants with various layout, design and management of irrigation, drainage and other hydraulic systems in different parts of Europe. In module 12, the participants engage in the group work and identify alternative solutions to various land and water development related issues in an integrated manner from the systems perspective in close collaboration with the other WSE specialisation participants.

The MSc theses are driven by the following two key objectives:

• to advance the horizon of science and current knowledge and expertise in various technical, socio-economical, environmental and institutional aspects of land and water development and management;
• to investigate pragmatic solutions to challenges related to water scarcity, food insecurity, flood risks and fragility of environment, particularly in the least developed and emerging countries.

Prior to embarking on their MSc theses, the participants follow Module 13 when they become acquainted with the main drivers and incumbent research priorities as identified, but not limited to, by the WSE Master Programme in general and the HELWD specialisation in particular. They also acquire valuable skills in problem description, formulating scientific research questions, articulating related research methodologies, literature review, data collection and analyses using pertinent techniques including modelling and presentation of the research findings.

Learning objectives

Upon successful completion of the Hydraulic Engineering - Land and Water Development Specialisation, the graduates will:

1. have in-depth understanding and specific knowledge of:

• the latest concepts and theories of irrigation, drainage, flood protection, land reclamation and consolidation technologies for sustainable development;
• the cross-sectoral linkages comprehending wider aspects of society, economy and the environment;

1. use latest hydraulic engineering and hydrological methods to apply in planning, design and implementation of irrigation, drainage and flood protection schemes, independently or in a multidisciplinary team;
2. be able to identify and cross-evaluate alternative land and water development options for areas under different land uses and assess their feasibility; technologically, economically, and environmentally;
3. be able to engage in or advise the developers, system managers and water users on the participatory development and management, including operation and maintenance of the irrigation, drainage and flood protection schemes;
4. acquire knowledge and understanding of contemporary research issues in the field of land and water development;
5. be able to formulate research questions, articulate research methodologies, develop study plans, and adequately communicate research results and conclusions in written and oral forms to a wide variety of audience.

The list below shows all course modules of the specialisation within the framework of the International Master Programme in Water Science and Engineering (participants can choose between modules that have the same module-number). This is followed by a six month research and thesis phase. In total, the programme covers a period of 18 months and graduates will be awarded 106 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) credits.