GLOBAL CHALLENGES IN WATER AND HEALTH - 2021/2

Module Overview

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are applicable to both developed and developing nations. SDG 6 (to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all) addresses global challenges in relation to drinking water, notably the limited access to safe water and sanitation faced by billions of people around the world. Additional challenges include increasing pressures on water resources and ecosystems, disasters and the increased risk of droughts and floods due to climate change. This module, through lectures, case studies and class participation will address these issues in the context of water, sanitation and public health. It will provide an understanding of how engineering can help achieve the overall aim of SDG 6, and its associated targets and indictors, by protecting public health through ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation can be built.
The module addresses the aim of the MSc in Water and Environmental Engineering to provide a comprehensive understanding of the core areas of water and environmental engineering. It will give the knowledge and skills needed to explore, critically assess and evaluate problems associated with poor water and sanitation and produce systematic and coherent solutions to protect public health

Module provider

Sustainability, Civil & Env Engineering

Module Leader

POND Katherine (Civl Env Eng)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): 30

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative content includes:

Progress towards sustainable development goals (SDGs) focusing on SDG 6 and its outcome and implementation targets.
Health impacts of poor access to water, sanitation and hygiene
Introduction to hydrogeology
Water safety planning (both small and large supplies)
Potable water engineering in low-income settings
Impacts of climate change and population growth on the availability of water supplies
Sustainable sanitation technologies (including the design and location of pit latrines)
Humanitarian and emergency aid (as related to SDG6)
Case studies
New approaches to water and sanitation in developing countries

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

None

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate:

Knowledge and understanding of the current global challenges in water and sanitation and how they impact on public health, through a 2 hour unseen examination and extended essay.
The ability to develop and discuss innovative solutions to address the challenges associated with the provision of potable water and sanitation in low income countries, through an extended essay.
The ability to critically evaluate intervention strategies to reduce the risk to human health from water related hazards through an extended essay.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:


Examination (LOs assessed K, C, T. skills ); (70%, 2 hours)
Extended essay (LOs assessed K, C, P, T. skills); (30%, 40 hours)


Formative assessment and feedback

Formative assessment will be through a range of exercises provided in class and on SurreyLearn.

Suggested titles will be given for essays that will allow students to improve their writing, analytical and referencing skills. Individual written and verbal feedback will be given on these essays.

Module aims

• To inform the participants' knowledge of the current global challenges to water and public health in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals
• To describe the routes of human exposure to contaminants in the context of the drinking water sources and sanitation.
• To describe the current approach to water safety planning as advocated by the World Health Organisation.
•  To develop the participants' knowledge of drinking water and sanitation interventions that can be used to interrupt the transmission of disease
• To develop the participants’ awareness of the impacts of climate change and population growth on the availability of safely managed water supplies and sanitation.
• To develop the participants’ writing, presentation and critical analysis skills

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

Formal lectures encouraging class interaction and discussion of topics (approximately 20 hours)
Group work – for example, reviewing relevant journal articles (up to 6 hours).
Group/individual presentations by participants (up to 2 hours)
Class tests – not assessed – to reinforce key messages (up to 2 hours).
Each session will be 3 hours per week made up of approximately 2 hours formal lecture and 1 hour of class activities – discussions/review of papers/presentations/class tests. Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: ENGM289

Other information

This module has a capped number and may not be available to ERASMUS and other international exchange students. Please check with the International Engagement Office email: ieo.incoming@surrey.ac.uk

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2021/2 academic year.