EXCEED – Excellence Center for Development Cooperation – Sustainable Water Management in Developing Countries

M. Bahadir, Technical University of Braunschweig, Institute of Environmental and Sustainable Chemistry, Hagenring 30, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany

Keywords:Sustainable Water Management; Developing Countries; Capacity Building

Summary
Although 70% of earth surface is covered by water, the fresh water reserves available for the mankind are vanishingly small. Water is among the 21st century’s key development issues. Almost one billion people worldwide do not have access to clean drinking water, whilst around one third of mankind does not have suitable sanitary facilities or wastewater treatment. This situation becomes worsened through the consequences of climate change in particular in already drought regions of Africa. The Exceed Project of Braunschweig University addresses the Millennium Development Goal MDG 7/C “Ensure Environmental Sustainability - Halve by 2015 the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation”.
“Exceed SWM – Excellence Centre for Development Cooperation - Sustainable Water Management in Developing Countries” is a project for capacity building through higher education and joint research. The Exceed SWM Project started 2009 at the Braunschweig University. It is one of five MDG Projects at German Universities that are awarded substantial funding for five years by German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development BMZ, and German Academic Exchange Service DAAD. Pioneering research and academic cooperation projects with partners from Latin America, Middle East, Sub-Sahara Africa, and South-East Asia have been developed with a strong focus on sustainable and transferable solutions for each region’s predominant water-related issues. These cover inter alia, water in arid and semiarid regions, use of reclaimed wastewater for irrigation, droughts and floods, water and health, and water and climate change.
Based on the world-wide network of 35 partner universities in 18 countries on 4 continents, this Excellence Centre in Braunschweig focuses on capacity building in developing and emerging countries through training of and networking between experts. A university each in Mexico, Turkey, Burkina Faso, and Vietnam coordinate all activities within their Regional Networks, whilst Braunschweig University initiates and organizes the trans-regional measures. Exceed SWM aims to develop and transfer competencies and knowledge on sustainable water management to future experts and decision-makers in the partner countries, enabling them to shape technological and economic-political change processes through population growth and climate change.
In order to achieve these goals, the existing study programs at partner universities related to sustainable water management at MSc and PhD levels are analyzed and upgraded; new courses initiated for the purpose of further education of scientific and technical staff at universities, enterprises, and public authorities at the respective regions. Summer schools, regional and international workshops, and expert seminars are organized for capacity building and further education, e.g. in 2013 “Summer School on New Alternative Sanitation Systems (Braunschweig, GER)”, “Summer School on Coastal Erosion and Management for Safer Coasts in a Changing Climate (Recife, Brazil)”, “Regional Training Course on Wastewater Management (Zomba, Malawi)”, “Expert Seminar on Water Issues in Mega Cities (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)”, “Regional Workshop on Management of Hydrological Systems in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions (Karak and Amman, Jordan)”, “Regional Workshop on Water and Energy (Hanoi, Vietnam)”, “Regional Workshop on Wastewater Treatment and Reuse (Konya, Turkey)”, and “Expert Workshop on Trans-boundary River Basins in Africa - Example of the Volta River Basin (Braunschweig, GER)”.
An outstanding international event organized was the UNESCO/DAAD/EXCEED Conference on “Water in Africa” October 2012 in Kisumu/Kenya for initiating an All African Network for Sustainable Water Management of scientists from Exceed member universities all over the world, those being DAAD Alumni in Africa, and UNESCO cooperation partners on water related subjects.
An intense exchange of students, young scientists, and academic teachers in all directions south-north, north-south, and south-south accomplishes education for capacity building. The same topics are also subject of joint teaching and research activities at Exceed member universities and the International Exceed Guest Chair and International Guest Team established at the Braunschweig University.
Climate Change is a global challenge that we have to cope with, through coordinated international efforts in education for capacity building, joint R&D, and responsible transnational and transformation politics. With its Exceed Project, Braunschweig University aims to contribute to international activities and measures in terms of higher education and research for capacity building in developing countries.
This lecture will present examples on education, capacity building, and joint research in an international network on sustainability and environmental safety and in particular on multiple use of water.
For further information on Exceed SWM: http://www.exceed.tu-braunschweig.de