Completed Projects
Project: „IFAT - Summer Scool“
Partner:
- Universität Siegen, Lehrstuhl für Wasserwirtschaftliche Risikobewertung und Klimafolgenforschung, Prof. P. Reggiani
- Universität Siegen, Lehrstuhl für Abwasser- und Abfalltechnik, Prof. H. Görg
Sponsor:
- Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)
Term:
- May - June
Description:
The Summer School of the University of Siegen is aimed at specialists and executives (alumni) in developing and emerging countries. The aim is to expand the professional knowledge by combining seminars and practical experience (field trip, IFAT trade fair) and to offer an international platform for scientific exchange. The well-founded transfer of knowledge is ensured by expert lectures and the strong participatory idea (alumni lectures, group work, discussions). The aim is to recognise the different potentials already existing, to support established positive developments and to discuss new, innovative ways of dealing with wastewater. Sustainable solutions are required which are practicable for the participants in their countries of origin and which can be expected to permanently eliminate deficiencies in the sanitary sector. The seminar programme describes the system chain of wastewater technology from sewerage, through treatment, to the environmentally friendly discharge of the treated wastewater into the natural water cycle. The excursion provides an insight into the practical aspects of everyday operation, and also answers questions about the sewer network and the demands on operating personnel. The technical lectures on the sewer network and sewage treatment plants also serve to prepare the participants (alumni) for their visit to the trade fair (IFAT). Facets (such as centralised and decentralised plants, industrial waste water) or the reuse of "waste water" with a view beyond the horizon (association structure, fees, laws) cover a wide range of interdisciplinary answers to current environmental questions. The qualified and sustainable implementation of measures is only possible with appropriately trained and further educated specialists, multilateral knowledge exchange and innovative technology transfer. Contact to specialist companies is already established during the seminar.
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Project: Risk management of climate phenomena and land use change - Strategies to improve social resilience in Latin America
Partner Teil 1:
- Universität Siegen, Lehrstuhl für Raum- und Verkehrsplanung, Prof. J. Steinbrecher
- Internationale Kommission zum Schutz des Rheins (IKSR), Dipl.-Ing. Reinhard Vogt
- Proyectos Técnicos y Maquinaria Ltda. (PTM), Kolumbien, Dipl.-Ing. Orlando Castillo
- Fundación Universitaria Tecnológico Comfenalco
Partner Teil 2:
- Dr. Fabian Vasconez, Agip Oil Ecuador
- Dr. Luis Fernando Burbano Enriquez, Professor der Pontifica Universidad Católica del Ecuador - Faculty of Engineering sowie Geschäftsführer im Projekt-Entwickluingsbereich Wasser der Development Bank of Latin Amercia
Sponsor:
- Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)
Term:
- 2 Years
Description:
Latin America is not only suffering from general climate change, but also from the climate phenomenon "El Niño". The consequences are various natural disasters such as floods but also low water situations or droughts. The effects are not only felt in rural areas and thus affect agriculture, but also in urban habitats. To counter these effects, sustainable, future-oriented risk management and interdisciplinary adaptation strategies are required. Coordinated and preventive action as well as measures for effective hazard prevention are required to provide answers to the burning questions in Latin America regarding strategies and techniques for minimising risks arising from expected climate change, but also from anthropogenic impacts. Due to the complexity of the topic it is planned to organize the seminar as a 2-year seminar in order to be able to comprehensively address the respective areas of adaptation strategies.
In the first part of the seminar (2015), the focus will be on spatial and transport planning, water supply, urban drainage and dam management, in order to first address measures that can be implemented in the medium term. Flexible adaptation strategies according to the "no-regret" principle will be considered.
In the second part (2016), water management will be discussed, as this is a rather long-term process. The central aim is to familiarise those responsible in local authorities, representatives from business, science, authorities and other interest groups with the various strategies and interrelationships of risk management and adaptation strategies to climate change and to improve cooperation between the various disciplines. Urgent questions of risk prevention are to be solved jointly and a uniform understanding of problems is to be developed.
Programm Part 1:
Programm Part 2:
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Expert seminar "Disaster Risk Management"
Partner:
- Stadtentwässerungsbetriebe Köln, Abt. Hochwasserschutz
Sponsor:
- Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)
Description:
Natural disasters that occur in densely populated areas usually have a high damage potential. Optimised management systems are needed to ensure smooth coping, both to reduce the consequences for the population and the environment and to repair damage as quickly as possible. In line with the risk management approach, however, preventive and aftercare measures to increase resilience are of central importance in addition to the management of crisis situations. Appropriate precautions can reduce vulnerability to extreme events at both the individual and societal level. The EU's resilience concept (October 2012) makes it clear that building resilience is particularly important for vulnerable population groups, including in terms of food security, water quality and agriculture.
The seminar "Disaster Risk Management - Strategies for Improving Social Resilience and Local Disaster Management" will cover the entire spectrum from the overall societal perspective to local measures. Reference will be made to various types of natural disasters (floods, earthquakes, storms, landslides) and, using examples, an attempt will be made to work out the general scope for action, strategies and perspectives. The spectrum of topics covered ranges from risk perception and awareness raising among the population to questions of forecasting and communication, prevention, coping and aftercare. Thus, the entire area of conflict in risk management is considered. The approaches presented are intended to encourage participants to think about optimised strategies in their home regions, but also to critically examine their transferability. In addition to the contributions of German experts from science and practice, selected international participants are also expected to make specialist contributions. Group work, field trips and practical exercises promote an intensive exchange of ideas and support the joint development of a crisis management strategy.
Other information:
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Expert seminar "Flood risk management in Latin Amerika"
Partner:
- Teil 1: Forschungsinstitut LACTEC, Curitiba (Brasilien)
- Teil 2: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Porto Alegre), Geological Survey Brazil
Sponsor:
- Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)
Description:
In recent years, flood events have occurred more frequently in Latin America. Although floods are natural events caused by intense precipitation, their impact can be significantly increased by inappropriate river basin management and lack of flood risk management. Both the intensity of floods and, above all, the damage increase in such cases. The aim of sustainable flood management is therefore the precautionary and targeted reduction of the risk of flood-related consequences for human health, the environment, cultural heritage and the economy. The proposed DAAD expert seminar on "Flood Risk Management in Latin America" in Santa Catarina (Brazil) addresses this problem. It is planned to be held in two parts. The first part addresses the topics of land management, technical flood protection, behavioural, construction and risk prevention as well as laws, information sheets and neighbourhoods. The second part focuses on flood aftercare according to the motto "After the flood is before the flood" by discussing the topics of alarm and operational planning, damage analysis, event analysis, hazard and risk maps and regeneration. The division of the seminar into two parts offers the possibility to reflect the contents dealt with in the first part in practical work in order to use the resulting wealth of experience for the development of suitable aftercare strategies. The central idea of the seminar is the active participation of all participants. In addition to the contributions of the German experts, the Latin American participants are also expected to make technical contributions. Group work and excursions will promote an intensive exchange of ideas and support the joint development of a strategy for sustainable flood risk management. The aim of the seminar is to support the participants in their daily work by jointly elaborating this important topic and to contribute to the formation of international networks.
Other information:
- Teil 1:
- Teil 2:
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Alfa III (01.01.2011 - 31.12.2013)
Partner:
- Deutschland: Universität Siegen
- Portugal: Instituto Superior Técnico de Lisboa
- Argentina: Universidad Tecnológica Nacional, Facultad Regional Bahía Blanca
- Brazil: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria
- Chile: Universidad de Talca
- Costa Rica: Universidad de Costa Rica
- El Salvador: Universidad Centroamericana "José Simeón Canas"
- Paraguay: Universidad Católica "Nuestra Señora de la Asunción"
Sponsor:
- Europäische Union
Description:
CapWEM (Capacity Development in Water Engineering and Environmental Ma-nagement) /// Lateinamerika /// EU ALFA
The EU programme ALFA (América Latina - Formación Académica) aims to promote institutional cooperation in higher education between the EU and Latin America. It also aims to modernise the higher education sector and to intensify interregional cooperation in Latin America. Within the framework of this programme, an application by Prof. Jürgen Steinbrecher (Transport Planning), Dipl.-Ing. Ingrid Althoff (Water Management) (both Dep. Civil Engineering) and Prof. Hubert Roth (Dep. Electrical Engineering and Computer Science) was successful in December 2010.
The CapWEM project focuses on the topic "Water and Environment". The project consortium consists of two European and six Latin American universities, with the project coordination being located in Siegen. During the three-year period from December 2010 to December 2013, four main objectives will be pursued:
Improving university education in the field of "Water and Environment"
Intensification of the cooperation between universities, companies and administrations
Increasing environmental awareness
Improving disaster prevention and management
The technical input in the project is provided by the Chair of Water Management, Dipl.-Ing. Ingrid Althoff and Prof. Dr. Helge Bormann. Prof. Dr. Jürgen Steinbrecher is in charge of the project management.
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BMBF-Project to initiate research in Talca – Chile
Partner:
- Universidad de Talca, Chile
Sponsor:
- Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BmBF)
Description:
The topic "Sustainable Infrastructure Planning" is currently being worked on by a team of scientists from the Departments of Civil Engineering and Architecture and with colleagues from Chile. The work is being financially supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in its funding programme "Scientific and Technological Cooperation with Chile".
In order to work together in the field of "Sustainable Infrastructure Planning", the research group has formed an interdisciplinary team of architects, urban planners, transport planners, water management experts, hydraulic engineers and project managers. The team plans to develop forward-looking instruments for resource-saving regional and infrastructure planning, with special consideration of global urban growth and the challenges of climate change.
Drinking water supply, wastewater treatment, catchment area management, safety of dams, holistic risk analyses as well as energy-efficient buildings via road and traffic planning are topics covered by the project. This comprehensive view is often missing in infrastructure planning.
Thematic areas of water management in this project are :
- Development of water management concepts for sustainable water management
- Preparation of water demand estimates for the future
- Innovative drinking water supply systems against the background of earthquake risk
- Water management aspects of preventive flood protection in the catchment area (decentralised flood protection)
- Climate impact assessment (model-based)
→ Demographic change
→ Climate change
→ Land use changes
Other Information:
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Water Pollution by Agriculture in Latin America
Partner:
- Prof. Dr. José Miguel Reichert, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Department of Agriculture and Forestry Engineering, Brasilien
Sponsor:
- Deutsche Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)
Description:
The pollution of water resources with pollutants and the resulting deterioration in water quality is one of the central ecological and social challenges, particularly in emerging and developing countries. Both diffuse and point sources of pollutants pollute water bodies and cause health and ecological problems. While point sources are comparatively easy to identify and record, the quantification of diffuse sources is considerably more difficult. In Latin America, this problem is becoming increasingly important, particularly due to the increase in agricultural monocultures.
The project deals with the topic "Water Pollution by Agriculture (soil erosion, nutrients, ...) in Latin America" or rather addresses this problem. The first of four main topics focuses on clarifying the causal relationships between land management, material inputs, soil erosion and water quality. Based on this, forecasting instruments (models) are presented and discussed, which can depict the essential input paths of pollutants into water bodies. The development of concepts for monitoring with regard to soil and water protection is the third focus. Finally, the principles of integrative approaches for site-appropriate management will be developed and discussed on the basis of process understanding, prediction and monitoring systems.
Downloads:
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International Alumni Seminar „Wassergewinnung (Water Catchment)” in the framework of the trade fair “geofora” in Hof-Saale, Bavaria (Germany)
Partner:
- Hochschule Hof
Sponsor:
- Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)
Description:
Despite global efforts to improve access to clean drinking water, over one billion people still do not have access to clean drinking water. Particularly in developing countries, this is associated with water-related diseases and increased child mortality. The available water resources are widely polluted by industrial wastewater and intensive land use, so that local utilities are not able to provide basic services in sufficient quality and quantity. Significant losses due to inadequate technology, maintenance and training of personnel ensure that a large part of the limited fresh water resources are lost. Such losses increase the economic and health consequences. The problem of water extraction will be addressed in the expert seminar. With the support of the Hof University of Applied Sciences as well as with regional industrial companies, the topic will be dealt with in a practical way. In addition to technical aspects of well construction, operation and regeneration, the seminar also addresses legal issues of water quality, methods of water treatment and the management of catchment areas in order to protect water resources from contamination from the outset. Speakers from the University of Siegen, Hof University of Applied Sciences and regional industrial companies will give keynote speeches, which will be deepened in discussions on regional problems from the various participating countries. The visit of two companies gives insight into German technologies and establishes practical contacts to regional companies. Finally, a joint visit to Geofora will conclude the event, where all participants will be able to find out about current technologies in drilling, water extraction and geothermal energy. The seminar combines the theory of water extraction with aspects of daily practice and the visit to the trade fair. It thus contributes both to further training and to the formation of international networks and does justice to the specific problems of the different participating countries
Downloads:
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Expertenseminar "Water Governance and Wastewater Management in Latin America", Sept. 2011 Bahia Blanca, Argentinien
Partner:
- Universidad Tecnológica Nacional Bahia Blanca
Sponsor:
- Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)
Description:
Not only the high social inequality between the population groups in the very heterogeneous countries of Latin America poses a major challenge, but also the increasing environmental problems. These include, among other things, the pollution of surface waters and groundwater resources, which will affect both present and future generations, not only in Argentina, but in the entire Latin American region. The problem is mainly due to the inadequate treatment of water by sewage treatment plants, as well as to the fertility of industry and agriculture, which discharge their toxins and effluents into lakes and rivers. Inappropriate agricultural use, overgrazing, deforestation and monocultures (application of highly toxic pesticides and chemical-syntetic fertilizers) lead to the destruction of soil, water and vegetation in the Argentinean arid regions (about 2/3 of the country), where water is of existential importance. Although Latin America still performs relatively well in international comparison in terms of drinking water supply and sanitation, there are still numerous regions where people have no or insufficient access to drinking water supply and sanitation. In Latin America, more than 86 percent of domestic wastewater is discharged untreated. Where wastewater treatment plants exist, they are often poorly operated. Furthermore, around 27 percent of the population of Latin America has no direct access to clean drinking water. In regions where there is a water supply, water consumption is many times higher than in Germany. Only about a quarter of the drinking water is regularly checked for quality. The management capacities of the municipal / private supply and disposal companies are often poorly trained, the staff is not sufficiently qualified, the tariff structure is not adapted to the region. A further problem is the inadequate implementation and application of the legal bases already formulated and adopted.
The project takes up the integral consideration of water protection on the basis of river catchment areas according to the EU Water Framework Directive. The focus is on improving the status of water bodies. Furthermore, the project aims to raise awareness of the environmentally conscious use of water and to improve the training of local stakeholders. Local decision-makers are to be strengthened in their ability to help shape strategies for the sustainable use of water and soil and the difficult political and social dialogue surrounding water as a resource, and to support the implementation of projects in such a way that they lead to constructive results. An ecological and technical understanding in the field of water management (quality, quantity), environmentally sound wastewater disposal and an insight into so-called "good governance" are to be provided. Water bodies can only be used efficiently, fairly and ecologically sustainable if they are considered as a whole ecosystem.
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