M.Sc. One-Year Programme in Water Resources Management

Introduction

There is a need for learning about various components of integrated water resources management. The knowledge to protect and develop these important resources using policies, regulations, economic incentives and environmental monitoring and technology takes significant multi-disciplinary training in hydrogeology, geography, engineering, physics and chemistry, toxicology, biology, economics and law.

The post-graduate programme leading to the advanced degree in Water Resources Management (WRM) shall be the response to the need for increased capacity building in this sub-sector. Considering the importance of ground water in the Caribbean islands as a prime source of water supply, the emphasis in this programme will be on ground water resources, including contaminant geochemistry and modelling of flow and contaminant transport.

The University of the West Indies through its Graduate School shall offer one-year post-graduate programme leading to a M.Sc. degree in WRM to start in September 2003. Students would be required to take 8 core courses and prepare a research project for a total of 44 credits.

Courses

The following courses shall be offered:
1 Philosophies, Concepts and Issues in Environmental Management. A core course intended to provide the conceptual framework for addressing the issues involved in developing an integrated approach to sustainable resource management.
2Introduction to Environmental Planning and Natural Resources Management:. A core course which will address the themes such as Resource Economics, Laws and Policy.
  • Introduction to environmental economics.
  • Management strategies.
  • Participatory management models.
  • Environmental management systems.
3 Water Resources Management. An umbrella (core) course with the syllabus as shown below. It is intended to offer lectures on hydrogeology and asssociated disciplines to meet the needs of students who did not have a background in these areas.
  • Meteorology, climate and climate change, and various components of the hydrologic cycle.
  • Basics of descriptive and quantitative hydrogeology.
  • Water chemistry, drinking water standards.
  • Agricultural use and plants’ requirements.
  • Descriptive and quantitative karst hydrogeology.
  • Coastal hydrogeology, sea water intrusion, upconing, detecting, monitoring, prevention.
  • Water demand management in the Caribbean islands.
  • Water supply augmentation and management.
  • Numerical modelling of ground water flow systems, density controlled flow, karst.
  • Numerical modelling of transport of solute and fate of contaminants.
  • Ground water information systems, data processing, analysis, interpretation, reporting.
  • Economics of water supply and water demand management.
  • Policies, regulations, institutions.
4 Aqueous Geochemistry with the following subtitles:
  • Principles of aqueous geochemistry.
  • Chemical reactions.
  • Colloids and microorganisms.
  • Equations of mass transport.
  • Mass transport in natural ground water systems.
  • Introduction to contaminant hydrogeology.
  • Modelling transport of dissolved contaminants (theory).
  • Multiphase fluid systems.
5Water Resources of the Caribbean Region:
  • Geology and hydrogeology of the Caribbean islands and countries.
  • Surface water and watersheds.
  • Karstic features of some islands.
  • Hydraulics and chemistry in sea water encroachment.
  • Legislation in managing water demand.
  • Planning water supply and demand.
  • Current water use and future plans (augmentation of supply, RO plants, waste-water reuse, roof-top catchments, etc.).
6Environmental Engineering, Assessment & Remediation:
  • Sources of ground water contamination.
  • Assessment, sampling and monitoring.
  • Design and quality assurance in solute sampling.
  • Point source and Nonpoint source pollution.
  • Environmental technologies for assessment and remediation based on geologic principles.
  • Environmental technologies and approach to oil spills and leaks; LNAPLs and DNAPLs.
  • Environmental technologies and approach to chemical additives, incl. MTBE.
  • Remediation of hazardous wastes from oil well drilling and industrial processes.
  • In-situ remediation techniques for soil and ground water pollution.
  • Intrinsic bioremediation.
  • Risk assessment.
7Mathematical Modelling of Ground Water Flow and Solute Transport:
  • Understanding the principles of ground water movement.
  • Main equations of flow, boundary conditions, water balance.
  • Recharge and discharge, parameter characterization.
  • Practical (hands-on) modelling of ground water flow: finite differences, finite elements, analytical elements.
  • Behaviour of various chemical substances in ground water, sources, reactions, options for removal.
  • Simulating fate of solute and transport through porous media.
8GIS and GWIS in Water Resources:
  • Mapping (source maps, water quality maps, hydrogeological maps, etc.).
  • Cross sections.
  • Hydrographs.
  • Pumping test analysis.
  • Time series, parameters with depth.
  • Saline intrusion (EC with depth), etc.

Duration: One year starting September 2003.

Location: Department of Geography & Geology, The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Kingston, Jamaica

Qualifications: First degree in one of the following disciplines: geology, hydrogeology, engineering (primarily in civil engineering, chemical engineering, environmental engineering, water resources engineering, and other engineering disciplines dealing with water), chemistry, agriculture; but graduates in soil sciences, economics of water resources and legislation would be also considered for enrollment. Screening of applicants may be needed if enrollment proves to be too high.

Tuition Fees: J$120,000 (about US$2,300).

Deadline for Application: 31 March 2003

Contact & Information: Faculty of Pure & Applied Sciences, Mona Campus, UWI, Kingston 7, Jamaica
Tel. 1-876-977-1785
Fax 1-876-927-1566

Course Coordinator: Dr. Jasminko Karanjac, Professor & Chair in Water Resources Management

karanjac@uwimona.edu.jm