Course Modules

Module 1: Fundamentals of Surface Water Hydrology & Watershed Dynamics

• Hydrological cycle: precipitation, runoff, infiltration, evaporation

• Watershed/catchment delineation, drainage patterns, terrain influence

• Land use / land cover effects on runoff and erosion

• Seasonal flow variability, extremes (floods & droughts)

• Hands-on Exercise / Case Study: delineate a catchment using DEM + calculate runoff potential

Module 2: Field Techniques for Surface Water Measurement & Quality Assessment

• Flow measurement methods (weirs, flumes, velocity gauging, stage recorders)

• Instrumentation: automatic sensors, manual flow meters, stage/discharge relationships

• Water quality parameters: turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, contaminants

• Sample collection, preservation, lab vs field testing, QA/QC

• Practical: measure flow in a local river / collect and analyse water quality samples

Module 3: GIS & Remote Sensing Applications for Surface Water Assessment

• Remote sensing imagery for surface water (satellite, aerial, drones)

• GIS tools for watershed mapping, hydrological flow direction, and catchment boundaries

• Time series analysis of surface water extent (e.g., seasonal changes, satellite imagery)

• Integration of remote and field data for better monitoring

• Exercise: map river basin, detect changes in waterbody extent over time

Module 4: Water Resource Availability, Demand, and Gap Analysis

• Water balance modelling: inputs vs losses vs usage

• Demand assessment: agriculture, urban, industrial, environmental flows

• Identifying gaps between supply and demand; risk of scarcity

• Scenario planning and impact of climate variability on supply & demand

• Case Study: analysing supply-demand gaps in a region and proposing management interventions

Module 5: Management, Governance, Policy Frameworks & Action Planning

• Legal, institutional, regulatory aspects of surface water resources

• Stakeholder roles: community, government, private sector

• Sustainable management practices: protection, conservation, restoration

• Monitoring & adaptive management; early warning for flood/drought events

• Group Project / Exercise: develop a surface water resources management plan for a river basin including governance, policy, monitoring & implementation strategy