an educational perspective on flood risk management

E-proceedings of the 36th IAHR World Congress 28 June – 3 July, 2015, The Hague, the

Netherlands

AN EDUCATIONAL PERSPECTIVE ON FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT (1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

NILAY DOGULU , BISWA BHATTACHARYA , DIMITRI P. SOLOMATINE , CHRISTIAN BERNHOFER , ALLEN BATEMAN (6) BRILLY (1)

& MITJA

Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, [email protected]

(2)

UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, Delft, The Netherlands, [email protected]

(3)

UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, Delft, The Netherlands, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands, [email protected] (4)

(5)

Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany, [email protected]

(5)

Technical University of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain, [email protected] (6)

University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia, [email protected]

ABSTRACT Flood risk management (FRM) has emerged as a key concern posing significant engineering and societal challenges in all around the world. Management of and adaptation to increased flood risk is therefore essential, and requires development of sustainable and effective FRM strategies that embrace a holistic and integrated approach. This approach emphasizes the necessity to address research on and practice in FRM in an interdisciplinary fashion. Accordingly, the field of FRM incorporates a variety of disciplines and subjects including meteorology, hydrology, climatology, water resources, hydraulics, hydroinformatics, forecasting and early warning, climate change, decisionmaking (under uncertainty), spatial planning, risk perception and communication, risk governance (e.g. institutional framework and policy development), and socioeconomics. Flood risk professionals and researchers are required to have a certain level of knowledge in and appropriate level of insight into these subjects. Considering also the dynamic and dependent nature of a flood risk system, the practice of FRM is inevitably challenging in multiple ways. Hence, flood risk managers and professionals are often faced with difficulties. In this regard, establishing training and education programmes is essentially worthwhile not only for the improvement of current knowledge and skills of existing flood risk professionals but also for capacity building through raising future flood risk professionals. Unfortunately, the importance of such training and education has not been widely and effectively recognized in both undergraduate and graduate levels. There is still a need for incorporating a consistently comprehensive and integrated approach to FRM education in the world. This paper presents views at the structure and syllabus of undergraduate and Master courses related to FRM. The case of Erasmus Mundus Programme in Flood Risk Management (FLOODRisk Master), the only ongoing full Master’s degree (international) programme on flood risk management in the world, is included as an illustration of current teaching practice. The challenges and the future direction of training and education on FRM are discussed as well. Keywords: Flood risk management, training and education, university learning, Erasmus Mundus, FLOODRisk Master. 1.

INTRODUCTION

The meteorological, hydrological, and climatological disasters are increasingly threatening human societies. The number of these weather-related disasters tripled worldwide since 1980 (Munich Re, 2014; UNISDR, 2012). The consequences of hydrological disasters (coastal and fluvial floods) are the highest in terms of the number of people affected, and 34% of the total global economic losses are due to hydrological disasters (averaged over the period 1980-2010 for all weather-related disasters; Visser et al., 2012). Flooding is a major natural hazard and in recent years the world has experienced more frequent and more intense flooding. Consequently, flood risk management has emerged as a key concern posing significant engineering and societal challenges in all around the world. Climate change is expected to pose further risk of increased riverine, coastal, and urban flooding with increased economic losses and widespread damage to infrastructure, livelihoods, and settlement (IPCC, 2014). Management of and adaptation to increased flood risk is therefore essential, and requires development of sustainable and effective FRM strategies that embrace a holistic and integrated approach. 1

E-proceedings of the 36th IAHR World Congress, 28 June – 3 July, 2015, The Hague, the Netherlands

1.1 Flood risk management Flood risk management (FRM) is the “continuous and holistic societal analysis, assessment and mitigation of flood risk” (Gouldby and Samuels, 2009). FRM “deals with a wide array of issues and tasks ranging from the prediction of flood hazards, through their societal consequences to measures and instruments for risk reduction” (Schanze, 2006). The fundamental aim is to reduce the human and socio-economic losses caused by flooding while at the same time taking into account the social, economic, and ecological benefits from floods and the use of flood plains or coastal zones. The integral aspect of sustainable FRM includes implementation of collaborative and interdisciplinary scientific approaches in real-world practice in consideration of cross-cutting interests of multiple actors involved in FRM. As underlined in the EU Flood Directive (EU, 2007) there is a need for the adoption of a holistic integrated approach to managing flood risks. Accordingly, such approach emphasizes the necessity to address research on and practice in FRM in an interdisciplinary fashion. As illustrated in Figure 1, the field of FRM incorporates a variety of disciplines and subjects including meteorology, hydrology, climatology, water resources, hydraulics, hydroinformatics, forecasting and early warning, climate change, decision-making (under uncertainty), spatial planning, risk perception and communication, risk governance (e.g. institutional framework and policy development), and socioeconomics. The diagram highlights also the key interactions between different disciplines and subjects as well as the transition between the social sciences and the earth sciences & engineering.

Figure 1. The underlying disciplines and subjects that support research on and practice in Flood Risk Management (Note that the key interactions are shown with arrows).

1.2 Flood risk management training and education Flood risk professionals and researchers are required to have a certain level of knowledge in and appropriate level of insight into these subjects. Considering also the dynamic and dependent nature of a flood risk system, the practice of FRM is inevitably challenging in multiple ways. Hence, flood risk managers and professionals are often faced with difficulties. In this regard, establishing training and education programmes is essentially worthwhile not only for the improvement of current knowledge and skills of existing flood risk professionals but also for capacity building through raising future flood risk professionals. Furthermore, in recognition of the fact that there is an increasingly significant demand for qualified staff in the field of FRM, there have been initiatives to serve for the purpose of providing training and education, especially in the recent years. Table 1 presents an overview of various examples of FRM training and education practices in the world. Among the examples listed are master degrees, short course(s), workshops, and games. It is apparent from this table that there are many short course(s) while there are only a few master degrees on FRM (see, e.g. Seegert et al., 2009). One can 2

E-proceedings of the 36th IAHR World Congress 28 June – 3 July, 2015, The Hague, the Netherlands

notice that majority of these practices are based in Europe. It should be also noted that no bachelor degree education is yet currently available. Table 1. Flood Risk Management training and education: various examples from the world. NAME

TYPE

COUNTRY

PARTNERS INVOLVED

DURATION

WEBSITE

● UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education ● Technische Universität Dresden ● Technical University of Catalonia ● University of Ljubljana

24 months (starts annually in September)

http://www.floodrisk master.org/

● Technische Universität Dresden

1 year

http://www.floodmast er.de/

United Kingdom

● Newcastle University

Full time: 12 months; Part time: 24-48 months

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/ postgraduate/course s/flood-riskmanagementmsc.html#profile

Japan

● International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (UNESCOICHARM) ● National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) ● Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

1 year

http://www.icharm.p wri.go.jp/training/ma ster/master_index.ht ml

http://www.lancaster. ac.uk/lec/postgraduat e/cpd--shortcourses/pg-cert-inflood-and-coastalrisk-management/

1

ERASMUS M UNDUS PROGRAMME IN FLOOD RISK M ANAGEMENT (FLOODRisk Master)

Master Degree

The Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Slovenia

2

FLOODMASTER

Master Degree

Germany

3

MSC FLOOD RISK M ANAGEMENT (Flexible Distance Learning)

4

WATER-RELATED RISK M ANAGEMENT COURSE OF DISASTER M ANAGEMENT POLICY PROGRAM

5

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN FLOOD AND COASTAL RISK M ANAGEMENT

Short Course(s)

United Kingdom

● Lancaster University ● JBA Consulting

5 weeks (each short course)

6

INTEGRATED FLOOD RISK M ANAGEMENT

Short Course

Sweden

● Karlstad University

2 months (Feb – May every year)

http://www.kau.se/en/ education/courses/C CAA02

7

FLOOD RISK M ANAGEMENT

Short Course

The Netherlands

● UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education

1 month (June every year)

http://www.unescoihe.org/flood-riskmanagement

8

ADVANCED COURSE ON ‘FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT ’

Short Course

The Netherlands

● University College Dordrecht ● Delft Flood Risk Centre

3 weeks

http://goo.gl/9Nczze

9

FLOOD HAZARD RESEARCH CENTRE - CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD) TRAINING

Short Course(s)

United Kingdom

● Middlesex University

1 day – 4 weeks (each short course)

http://www.mdx.ac.uk /ourresearch/centres/floo d-hazard/floodhazard-researchcentre-cpd-training

10

INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE ON FLOOD DISASTER RISK M ANAGEMENT IN A CHANGING CLIMATE

Short Course

Thailand

● Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC)

12 days

http://www.adpc.net/ 2012/gateway.asp?fr ame=Aha&DocID=32 7

11


Short Course

United Kingdom

● Cranfield University

5 days (end of January)

http://www.cranfield. ac.uk/courses/trainin g/flood-riskmanagement.html

12

THE FMA-OEH FLOODPLAIN RISK M ANAGEMENT SHORT COURSE

Australia

● Floodplain Management Association (FMA) ● New South Wales Government, Australia ● University of Technology Sydney (UTS)

4 – 6 days

http://floods.org.au/fr mcourse/

Master Degree

Master Degree

Short Course

3


13

14

15

HR WALLINGFORD TRAINING

Short Course(s)

ASFPM TRAINING

Online Training Course

FLOOD M ANAGER ELEARNING

E-Learning Platform

United Kingdom

● HR Wallingford

1 or 2 days (each short course)

http://www.hrwallingf ord.com/training

USA

● The Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM)

2 - 4 hours or 1 day workshops (each course)

http://floods.org/index .asp?menuID=237&fi rstlevelmenuID=182 &siteID=1

Germany

● University of Technology Hamburg – Harburg ● Associated Programme on Flood Management

-

http://daad.wb.tuharburg.de/homepag e/

-

http://nordsee.lfi.rwth -aachen.de/secom/

16

SECOM 2.0

Game

Germany, Italy, Austria

● RWTH Aachen – LFI ● Politecnico di MilanoMETID ● TU Vienna - Hydrology ● HKC Cologne ● Zone 2 Connect

17

FLOOD CONTROL

Game

The Netherlands

● FloodCom

-

http://www.floodcom. nl/?lang=en

HELPDESK FOR INTEGRATED FLOOD M ANAGEMENT

Tools and Publications, Reference Center Database, Games

-

● Associated Programme on Flood Management (APFM)

-

http://www.apfm.info/

FLOODSITE

Website, Project Publications Library

EC Sixth Framework Programme Integrated Project (2004-2009)

● Members of the FLOODsite Consortium

-

http://www.floodsite.n et/

-

http://www.fcerm.net/

-

http://floodlist.com/

18

19

20

21

FLOOD AND COASTAL EROSION RISK M ANAGEMENT NETWORK

Website, Blog, Resources Library

United Kingdom

● The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) ● The Environment Agency (EA) ● Living with Environmental Change (LWEC).

FLOODLIST

Website (reporting floods and flooding news)

-

● The FloodList Team

Continuous professional development through self-learning plays a key role in maintaining and improving one’s knowledge and skills. There are many websites serving for this purpose – the most prominent of which are exemplified in Table 1. An alternatively effective way of training is through games. For example the Flood Control game allows the players, acting as the representatives of the involved organizations, to discuss and interact on decision-making processes under uncertainty (Booister et al., 2014). There are also computer simulation games (e.g. FloodSim and SchaVis developed within SeCom 2.0) in which the damage in a house can be visualized and/or effectiveness of an investment in flood prevention is tested. Despite the availability of training and education means in the form of games, and e-learning platforms & websites, the role and potential of undergraduate courses and Master degrees remain inevitably substantial. Unfortunately, the importance of such training and education has not been widely and effectively recognized in both undergraduate and graduate levels. There is still a need for incorporating a consistently comprehensive and integrated approach to FRM education in the world. This paper presents views at the structure and syllabus of undergraduate and Master courses related to FRM. The case of Erasmus Mundus Masters Course in Flood Risk Management (FLOODRisk Master), the only ongoing full Master’s degree (international) programme on flood risk management in the world, is included as an illustration of current teaching practice. The challenges and the future direction of training and education on FRM are discussed as well.

4


2.

UNDERGRADUATE AND MASTER PROGRAMMES ON FRM

As mentioned previously, no bachelor degree specialization in FRM is currently provided in the world universities. Furthermore, there are no courses offered at the undergraduate level. Table 2 presents a review of the short courses and degrees reported in Table 1 with emphasis on the details regarding the courses offered and topics covered. (The listed courses and degrees are identified through a comprehensive web search in English. However, we don’t claim that the table is entirely comprehensive on its coverage. This table is just an initial attempt to provide a general overview of the courses and degrees available in the world, and can be improved in the future. We also hope that this table will provide guidance to those planning to establish graduate level FRM education and training programmes.) The first observation based on Table 2 is that the majority of the short courses are offered as a part of graduate programme and available also to those interested (who are eligible and meet the required conditions), e.g. 5, 6, and 7. It should be realized that these short courses well cover the fundamental concepts and approaches within the field of FRM. On the other hand, while the general focus of some of the courses are more on the social science aspects involved in FRM (e.g. 6, 8, and 12), some others’ is usually more targeted at the technical subjects such as inundation modelling and flood forecasting (e.g. 5, 9, and 11). There are only a number of master degree programmes specifically in FRM. Among those listed in Table 2, the courses offered within each programme are mainly from the earth sciences & engineering. It should be emphasized that it is only the Erasmus Mundus Programme in Flood Risk Management (FLOODRisk Master) which includes courses covering a wider variety of disciplines and subjects shown in Figure 1. It is important that the structure of a master degree programme in FRM be shaped based on all the aspects related to these disciplines and subjects relevant to the field of FRM. It also important to maintain sufficient levels of knowledge depth in teaching of each subject while enabling students to link their knowledge in different subjects both in research and practice. Unfortunately, existing master degree programmes lacks a certain level of integration although they are capable of covering many technical aspects. In this respect, FLOODRisk Master is an important advance in water education for Europe. In the next section, the case of Erasmus Mundus Programme in Flood Risk Management (FLOODRisk Master) is described with respect to its syllabus, learning objectives, and learning outcomes. Table 2. Courses and Degrees on Flood Risk Management. (The listed courses and degrees are identified through a comprehensive internet research in English. However, we don’t claim that this table is entirely comprehensive on its coverage. This table is just an initial attempt to provide a general overview of the courses and degrees available in the world and will be improved in the future.) NAME

TYPE

COURSES OFFERED / TOPICS COVERED / NOTES Technische Universität Dresden (Semester 1) (30 ECTS) - Geodesy (5 ECTS) - Climatology and Hydrology (5 ECTS) - Flood Risk Management II (10 ECTS) - Hydromechanics* (5 ECTS) - Hydraulic Engineering* (5 ECTS) - Ecology** (5 ECTS) - Hydrochemistry** (5 ECTS) *: students with engineering background, **: students with non-engineering background

1

ERASMUS M UNDUS PROGRAMME IN FLOOD RISK M ANAGEMENT (FLOODRisk Master)

UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education (Semester 2) (30 ECTS) Master Degree

Data-Driven Modelling and Real-Time Control of Water Systems (5 ECTS) River Basin Modelling (5 ECTS) Intro. to River/Urban Flood Modelling (5 ECTS) International Fieldtrip to Florida, USA (hosted by the Florida Earth Foundation) (5 ECTS) Flood Risk Management (5 ECTS) Hydroinformatics for Decision Support (5 ECTS)

Technical University of Catalonia (Semester 3, Part 1) (20 ECTS) Coastal Impacts, Conflicts, and Risks (7 ECTS) The Application of Radar-Based Rainfall Observations and Forecasts (4 ECTS) Flood and Drought Management (3 ECTS) Debris Flow and Flash Flood (6 ECTS)

University of Ljubljana (Semester 3, Part 2) (10 ECTS) Socio-Economical Assessment of Flood Protection (5 ECTS) Spatial Planning for Flood Protection (5 ECTS)

MSc Thesis Research (Semester 4) (30 ECTS) Master Degree 2

FLOODMASTER

(Technische Universität Dresden)

The course was developed by TU Dresden and IOER Dresden scientists and was supervised by a scientific advisory board of national and international experts. It benefit from support and expertise of more than 30 national and international universities, research institutions, authorities, and private enterprises. Development of this course and a test period of three years was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the EU Project FLOODsite. The course consists of two main parts. Two basic modules Flood Risk Management I and Flood Risk Management II. The modules consist of two classes, four workshops, and one study tour (Seegert et al., 2009; Bernhofer et al., 2007).

5


- Flood Risk Management I (Class 1: Physical processes of floods) - Flood Risk Management II (Class 2: Integrated flood risk management)

3

MSC FLOOD RISK M ANAGEMENT (Flexible Distance Learning)

Master Degree (Newcastle University)

- Quantitative Methods for Engineering (5 ECTS) - Climate Change: Earth System, Future Scenarios and Threats (5 ECTS) - Geographic Information Systems (5 ECTS) - Hydrosystems: Processes and Management (15 ECTS) - Hydrosystems Modelling (5 ECTS) - Options for Flood Risk Management (5 ECTS) - Flood Management: Governance, Planning and Project Appraisal (5 ECTS) - Modelling of Floods (5 ECTS) - Real Time Flood Forecasting and Warning Systems (5 ECTS) - Modelling and Forecasting of Floods (5 ECTS) - MSc Project and Dissertation in Water Resources(30 ECTS) - Integrated River Basin Management (5 ECTS) - Climate Change: Vulnerability, Impacts and Adaptations(5 ECTS) Notes: Individual modules can be taken as Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

4

WATER-RELATED RISK M ANAGEMENT COURSE OF DISASTER M ANAGEMENT POLICY PROGRAM

5

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN FLOOD AND COASTAL RISK M ANAGEMENT

6

7

INTEGRATED FLOOD RISK M ANAGEMENT


Master Degree (UNESCOICHARM, GRIPS and JICA)

Short Course(s) (Lancaster University and JBA Consulting)

Short Course (Karlstad University)

Short Course (UNESCO-IHE) Short Course

ADVANCED 8

9

10

6

COURSE ON ‘FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT ’

FLOOD HAZARD RESEARCH CENTRE CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD) TRAINING INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE ON FLOOD DISASTER RISK M ANAGEMENT IN A CHANGING

(University College Dordrecht and Delft Flood Risk Centre) Short Course(s) (Middlesex University)

Short Course (ADPC)

- Disaster Mitigation – Recovery Policy - Disaster Risk Management - Basic Concepts of Integrated Flood Risk Management - Computer Programming - Hydrology - Hydraulics - Basic Practice on Flood Forecasting and Inundation Analysis - Urban Flood Management and Flood Hazard Mapping - Flood Hydraulics and Sediment Transport - Mechanics of Sediment Transportation and Channel Changes - Sustainable Reservoir Development and Management - Control Measures for Landslide & Debris Flow - River Ecohydraulics - Advanced Practice on Flood Forecasting & Inundation Analysis - Site Visit of Water-related Disaster Management Practice in Japan - Master Thesis - Catchment Hydrology and Assessment - River Hydraulics: Processes, Structures and Modelling - Coastal Erosion and Flood Risk Management - Forecasting and Extreme Event Response - Integrated Systems for Sustainable Surface Water Management - Sustainable Floodplain Management and Restoration Notes: Each course is 15 ECTS. Upon completion of 4 modules: a Postgraduate Certificate, 6 modules a Postgraduate Diploma is awarded. The course is offered by Centre for Climate and Safety at Karlstad University within the EU project SAWA (Strategic Alliance for Integrated Water Management Actions) which consists of 22 partners representing Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, UK and Sweden. The course content is structured into four areas: - Governance and legal framework - Flood risk analysis - Integrative planning - Adaptive measures - Flood risk management - Hydroinformatics tools available for flood risk management - EU Flood Directive and European experience in flood risk management - Flood forecasting and warning, and associated uncertainty issues - Flood inundation modelling - Dealing with climate change - The Paleogeographic and Spatial development - Flood- and Flood risk management - Flood defense structures - Risk and uncertainty - Environmental Fluid Mechanics 1 & 2 - Building with Nature - Spatial Planning and Processes - Dutch multi-layer approach to flood risk management - Workshops and excursions

- An Introduction to Flood Benefits Appraisal - Flood Management Benefits: A Better Appraisal in Less Time - Accreditation to undertake visual flood defense asset inspections - Flood Forecasting, Warning and Response Course - Flood Risk Management Foundation Course

- Introduction to Integrated Flood Risk Management - Climate Change and Impending Flood Risk - Flood Risk Assessment, Flood Risk Mitigation - Flood Disaster Preparedness and Response Planning Process - Flood Recovery Planning & Implementation - Crosscutting Issues


CLIMATE

11


Short Course (Cranfield University)

THE FMA-OEH FLOODPLAIN RISK M ANAGEMENT SHORT COURSE

Short Course

13

HR WALLINGFORD TRAINING

Short Course(s)

14

ASFPM TRAINING

12

(FMA and UTS)

Online Training Course (ASFPM)

3.

- Methods, e.g. the Flood Estimation Handbook (FEH) method, to determine the likelihood of a flow of a given magnitude for ungauged catchments and for catchments with some historical data, - Impacts of alternative channel designs for flood alleviation - Technical and non-technical approaches to flood risk management at the catchment scale - Current policy for flood risk management in the UK and elsewhere. Managing flood risk to existing properties (Part 1) - Roles of FRM studies and plans in managing risk to existing development - FRM issues for existing development - Full range of practical FRM options and associated decision making and implementation issues - Determining the appropriate option for a particular situation - The impacts works can have upon the environment and other management objectives and how these can be considered - Approvals necessary for mitigation work projects - Continuing flood risk and how to manage this risk - Implementation of management plans. Effective consideration of flood risk in land use planning (Part 2) - Managing risk to future properties and associated duty of care issues - The role of management studies and plans in managing risk to future property - The current legislation and policy framework - Managing flood risk strategically - Manage risk to future development - Continuing flood risk and how to manage this risk - Effectively implement recommendations. - Evacuation and loss of life analysis for floods - River hydrology and hydraulics - Flood risk analysis and management - Management of above-ground flood and coastal assets - Concepts in river modelling for flood risk management - Building Public Support for Floodplain Management (BPS) - Floodplain Management 101 (FPM 101) - CFM® (Certified Floodplain Manager Program of ASFPM) Refresher Course

ERASMUS MUNDUS PROGRAMME IN FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT (FLOODRisk MASTER)

Erasmus Mundus is a cooperation and mobility programme in the field of higher education that aims to enhance the quality of European higher education and to promote dialogue and understanding between people and cultures through cooperation with Third-Countries. It contributes to the development of human resources and the international cooperation capacity of Higher education institutions in Third Countries by increasing academic mobility of students and staff between the European Union and these countries. Hence, Erasmus Mundus Programmes (MSc, PhD) prompts not only the culture of learning but also the culture of travelling and adventure. Currently there are more than 130 Master programmes in a variety of fields of study, including “Engineering, Manufacture and Construction”, and “Science, Mathematics and Computing”. On July 2010, Erasmus Mundus Grant Committee selected UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education’s proposal on a new Masters Course on Flood Risk Management for funding under the 2010 Erasmus Mundus Action 1 Call for proposal. FLOODRisk Master is a joint programme led by UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education (the Netherlands) and in collaboration with Technische Universität Dresden (Germany), Technical University of Catalonia (Spain) and University of Ljubljana (Slovenia). The associated members include European hydraulics laboratories and key national organizations responsible for flood management: Deltares (the Netherlands), HR Wallingford Ltd (UK), DHI (Denmark), Rijkswaterstaat Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water (the Netherlands), Institute for Water of the Republic of Slovenia (Slovenia), International Center for Water Hazard and Risk Management (Japan), Institute of Water and Flood Management (Bangladesh), Institute of Water Modelling (Bangladesh), Center for Environment and Geographical Information Services (Bangladesh). These partners bring their specific complementary expertise in flood risk management to the programme. In this two-year Master degree programme students master the subject of integrated flood risk management by attaining a broad and cross-boundary knowledge on natural and man-made processes occurring in river basins and in coastal zones at different spatial and temporal scales, and develop an understanding of the current theory and practice related to flooding and flood management. The course is designed for young graduates in civil/ environmental engineering or a related discipline, and water professionals (engineers and scientists), decision-makers and others involved in flood modelling and flood risk management, particularly those who would like to learn the latest tools and techniques in flood risk management.

7


FLOODRisk master trains futures’ flood risk professionals who can understand floods from different perspectives and find innovative solutions to alleviate its consequences. Students gain a great level of insight and broaden their academic background not only with the academic diversity inherit within the structure of the programme but also through the numerous opportunities to attend conferences, seminars, PhD defenses and more in the institutes in which they study. Furthermore, FLOODRisk master increases international awareness of students and strengthens research and knowledge production fostering international cooperation and solidarity. 3.1 Courses Students start at the Technische Universität Dresden, where they complete their first semester with courses on hydrometeorological processes, global change and its impact, flood risk management and GIS. Then, the students move to UNESCOIHE for their second semester with courses on modelling for planning, forecasting, control and decision support, hazard mapping, ICT, and fluvial flooding and urban flood disasters. Subsequently, the students move to the Technical University of Catalonia to follow the first part of their third semester with courses on hazards due to flash floods, debris flow, coastal flooding, and climate change. The last part of the third semester is hosted by the University of Ljubljana with courses on spatial planning, and socio-economic and institutional framework of flood risk management. At the last semester, each student conducts a thesis research and specializes in a particular subject more academically at one of the four institutes of higher education or with an industrial partner. Successful candidates receive MSc degrees from the Technische Universität Dresden, UNESCO-IHE and the Technical University of Catalonia, Barcelona. The complete list of courses offered can be seen in Table 2. A number of elective subjects are also provided in each semester. The students accumulate 120 ECTS credits at the end of two years. There are also a variety of technical trips in each country during which students learn about the specific flood-related problems at the local level and their solutions. In this regard, FLOODRisk Master provides an excellent opportunity for students to see various applications of theoretical knowledge they gain within real life practices of flood risk management. 3.2 Learning objectives The learning objectives of FLOODRisk Master can be listed as follows:     

A broad and cross-boundary scientific knowledge on flood risk management; A comprehensive knowledge base and understanding of the current theory and practice relating to flooding and flood management; The fundamental knowledge leading to the understanding of socio-economic issue related to flooding; A broad scientific knowledge about conservation, restoration and management measures to overcome challenges imposed on water by humans and by climate change; An extended knowledge on a basin-wide approach to flood risk management.

3.3 Learning outcomes The learning outcomes of FLOODRisk Master are:        

Analyzing the reciprocal relationships between the physical system, the institutional framework and the socioeconomic environment, identifying future social and climatic pressures and needs and the consequent trends in system management; Applying specific practical skills, such as identifying the major physical processes in a given river basin or coastal zone and their interaction with the associated assets and receptors; Identifying the links between all issues related to flooding in order to apply an integrated approach using the best tools to support decision making for the sustainable management of floods; Reviewing scientific literature and carrying out independent research; Applying sophisticated hydroinformatics and modelling tools and best practices to address the problems of flood risk management; Occupying an independent and responsible position as a flood risk professional; Communicating his/her knowledge and research results to the scientific and non- scientific communities; Acquiring independently further knowledge and techniques, and operating in a team.

3.4 Students Since September 2011 FLOODRisk Master is offered together with a limited number of Erasmus Mundus Scholarships to cover tuition, living and travel expenses. The first batch (18 students from 14 countries) graduated in September 2013 whereas the second batch (20 students from 17 countries) has just graduated in September 2014. The third batch (21 students from 18 countries) is currently working on their thesis research while the fourth batch (15 students from 12 countries) is just at the beginning of their master (Figure 2). Since 2011, the programme had four generations of students, each generation having a diverse collection of students in terms of not only knowledge, experience and interests but also cultural background and identity. FLOODRisk master gives students the chance to be a part of a brilliant group of determined and adventurous people. The blog pages run by the first and third batch students (http://emfrm.blogspot.com/ and http://emfrm-3.blogspot.com/, respectively) can be seen to learn about both their academic and personal experiences during the Masters course. 8


4.

CONCLUSIONS

Flood risk management (FRM) has emerged as a key concern posing significant engineering and societal challenges in all around the world. In recognition of the fact that there is an increasingly significant demand for qualified staff in the field of FRM, establishing training and education programmes is essentially worthwhile not only for the improvement of current knowledge and skills of existing flood risk professionals but also for capacity building through raising future flood risk professionals.

Figure 2. Erasmus Mundus Programme in Flood Risk Management students: FRM 1.0 at their graduation ceremony held in Delft, the Netherlands (September 2013; top left), FRM 2.0 at the Technical University of Catalonia (November 2013; top right), FRM 3.0 at the University of Ljubljana (December 2014; bottom left), and FRM 4.0 at the Technische Universität Dresden (January 2015; bottom right).

This paper provides a general overview of the courses and degrees on FRM available in the world, and presents views at the structure and syllabus of undergraduate and Master courses related to FRM. The case of Erasmus Mundus Programme Masters Course in Flood Risk Management (FLOODRisk Master), the only ongoing full Master’s degree (international) programme on flood risk management in the world, is included as an illustration of current teaching practice. Thereby, we hope that this study can guide future initiatives to establish graduate level FRM education and training programmes. The main conclusions from this study can be summarized as follows: 

    

The field of FRM incorporates a variety of disciplines and subjects (see Figure 1). It is important that the structure of a master degree programme be shaped based on all the aspects related to these disciplines and subjects relevant to the field of FRM. A comprehensive integration of these while maintaining enough depth is of course challenging but still possible. In this respect, FLOODRisk Master sets a good example. In all training and education programmes a key issue is to maintain high levels of student motivation for maximizing their personal achievements in both practice and research. Provision of opportunities for attending to workshops, and technical trips is very valuable in that such activities help students, tomorrow’s flood risk professionals, to link the knowledge they gain in different subjects to each other while widening their vision in terms of both research and career development. The available training and education programmes are mostly developed in Europe – United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany being the leading countries. There is still a need for incorporating a consistently comprehensive and integrated approach to FRM education and training in the world, especially in the developing countries. A promising act would be to establish bachelor degree programmes in FRM.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS FLOODRisk Master is supported by the Erasmus Mundus programme of the European Union, and Erasmus Mundus Grant Committee is gratefully acknowledged for providing funding. We would also like to thank the past and present students for their current and future achievements in the field of FRM.

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