Water resources and quality
Assessment and development of water resources is vital for the health and survival of both urban and rural communities. Water needs to be of adequate quantity and quality. WEDC’s holistic approach to water and sanitation includes analysis of water resources and quality issues with a particular focus on how they impact on the provision of water and sanitation services.
The presence of some chemicals (such as fluoride, arsenic, iron and salt) in water may be either harmful to health or make the water unpalatable for reasons such as taste and odour. More serious is the bacterial quality of water, because organisms capable of transmitting diseases may be present in the water. WEDC has undertaken research on the use of Water Safety Plans that aim to protect the quality of water from source to consumer, and we continue to promote the use of this concept. Testing of water quality is an important component of these plans, to verify that protective measures are effective.
If you would like to find out more about WEDC’s work is this area, please contact Ian Smout or Michael Smith.
Projects in this area
- Rapid assessment of drinking water quality
- Water sector development project (WSDP) in China
- Tailored training course for engineers
- EU-Philippines cooperation for local government unit capacity building for integrated urban water resources management
- SWITCH - Managing Water for the City of the Future
- Risk assessment for flood incident management: Phase 1
PhDs in this area
- Performance Assessment of Heterogeneous Irrigation Schemes in India Uttam Kadam (2006-2015)
- Implications of Urban Development for Water Demand, Wastewater Generation and Reuse in Water-Stressed Cities: Case studies from South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa Daan van Rooijen (2007-2011)
- Allocating water from agriculture to growing cities: the Hyderabad case (South-India) and its implications for urban water transfers research and policy Mattia Celio (2006-2009)
- Optimisation of tank irrigation systems in watersheds of semi arid and sub humid tropics Mukund Shinde (2002-2006)
- Spatial optimal allocation of land and water resources using GIS and genetic algorithm Harshal Galgale (2002-2006)
- Risk assessment and management of self-supply drinking water (Nigeria) Angela Akpovi (current)
- Integration of Microbiological Risk Assessment Indicators into Water Safety Plans for slums around Lagos Lagoon Oluremi Nurudeen Olaleye (current)
- Institutional arrangements conducive to resource recovery and reuse businesses Alex Clemett (current)
- Where there are no data: A case study of water supply in Somalia/Somaliland Chris Print (submitted)