Maintenance and upgrading of waterways is a pre-condition for economic expansion and sustainable development. In some areas dredging is necessary for navigation or flood control.

Besides, these days contaminated freshwater and marine sediments are a significant environmental problem worldwide as well. Although steps have been taken to restrict or ban the use of some contaminants and reduce discharge of others, industrial areas, cities, and agricultural areas continue to produce polluted runoff streams.

The result is that harmful levels of contaminants continue to accumulate in sediments, where they can persist for many years and adversely affect human health and the environment.

Learning objectives

The course aims at providing a comprehensive overview and exposure of the Dutch know-how of all issues related to contaminated sediments, as well as to incorporate the knowledge and experience from speakers of other countries and have an exchange of experiences between the participants of the course.

Target group

Participants are invited from all the Ministries in charge of water management, Water-boards, Universities and Colleges, Consultants and Contractors, Port Engineers, Rural and urban planners and environmental experts. The course will be held in English.

Additional information

When sediments dredged to maintain and improve navigation are contaminated, major financial costs can be incurred in disposing of the dredged material. A number of treatment technologies are emerging, but much work remains to be done to reduce their costs sufficiently to make them viable for alternatives to disposal.

Solving the problems of contaminated sediments requires a better understanding of the nature of contaminated sediments and the risks they pose. Better technologies for handling and treating contaminated sediments must be developed, and practicable and cost-effective sediments-management practices must be designed.

Remediation and handling of contaminated sediments is an advanced subject, that is of vital importance for the development of harbours, navigation, water management and the environment. Within the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management of the Netherlands a rich experience has been obtained during the past years on this subject.

The efforts of the Ministry are implemented in the Netherlands practice by the Head Office, the Specialised Services and the Regional Directorates with full involvement of the private sector. The Specialist Services have brought their activities under the Aquatic Sediment Expert Centre (AKWA), which is specialized in all aspects of contaminated sediments.

In many countries of both the developed and the developing world, as well as in countries in transition, the issue of contaminated sediments is emerging and an increased need is felt to enter into cleaning programmes. For this purposes the know-how as developed in the Netherlands can be very well exposed in a short course.

Within the framework of the MOU Between the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and water Management and UNESCO-IHE, a 5 days short course has been developed by UNESCO-IHE, Core Land and Water Development, in cooperation with AKWA.

For further information and registration, please fill in the registration form or contact Ms. Claudia Brakel tel ++31 (0)15-2151720, or Mr. Sur Suryadi tel ++31 (0)15 2151793.