ACTIVITY REPORT VAKGROEP HYDROLOGIE EN WATERBOUWKUNDE DEPARTMENT OF HYDROLOGY AND HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT BRUSSEL

PLEINLAAN 2 1050 BRUSSELS Belgium Email: hydr@vub.ac.be Tel: xx-32-2-6293021 Fax: xx-32-2-6293022

CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION 2. IUPWARE - General Information - Diplomas and Certificates offered - Courses - Admission Requirements - Management - International Cooperation 3. PHYSICAL LAND RESOURCES - Objectives and contents of the programme - Selection of option and registration - Addresses - Study programme 4. STUDENT THESES - MSc and PhD Theses Academic year 2002-2003 5. RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND DISSEMINATION 6. EUROPEAN PROGRAMMES 6.1 SOCRATES/ERASMUS for higher education 6.2 ETNET.ENVIRONMENT WATER 6.3 LATEST NEWS / KeyWATER 7. PEOPLE, SEMINARS AND VISITORS 8. PUBLICATIONS and PRESENTATIONS 9. MEMBERS OF THE LABORATORY ON 31 DECEMBER 2003 WOLRLD DAY FOR WATER 2 3 3 4 5 7 9 11 14 14 14 15 15 17 17 36 53 53 54 55 57 59 68 69

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1. INTRODUCTION
This activity report covers the past year 2003, and in particular the academic year 2002-2003 of the MSc programs Water Resources Engineering (IUPWARE) and Use of Physical Land Resources (PHYLARES). Both programs are running very well and keep on growing. Also, the department has flourished in the past year. There have been many activities and you will notice that the activity report has never had so many pages as this one. Many projects have been conducted often in combination with PhD research, as the number of PhD students is also rising steadily. On the organizational point of view we are still very much involved with the adaptation of the MSc programs to the Bachelor-Master system. For IUPWARE we stick to our plans to transform the program into a Master after Master degree. If all will proceed as planned this program could start in 2005. Meanwhile, we are also trying to link IUPWARE to other similar programs in Europe and the rest of the world, because joining forces would increase our strength and impact, and is also attractive to students who can participate in exchange programs and benefit from expertise offered by other partners. For PHYLARES, we intend to transfer to a Master after Bachelor program, also starting possibly in 2005. In this program only two options will remain, one in Soil Science offered by our partners at the University of Ghent and the other one in Engineering Geology offered at our university, which will replace the option use. Hence, more work ahead, but hopefully also more rewards in the form of new students, good teaching and successful research. I would like to conclude by thanking everybody, students and staff, for their input and effort to keep the program in -2-

good shape. Also, many thanks to the alumni that keep in touch and are our best advertisement especially because of their successful careers. F. De Smedt

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2. IUPWARE
Interuniversity Programme in Water Resources Engineering
* General Information
The objective of the Interuniversity Programme in Water Resources Engineering (IUPWARE) is to provide multi-disciplinary and professional training in water resources engineering, and to equip future personnel with the necessary technical and managerial knowledge and skills, which they require to successfully design and operate water resources schemes. The foregoing is particularly important for personnel from developing countries where sustainable development of water resources is more crucial now than ever before. IUPWARE, organised annually by the K.U.Leuven and the VUB, aims at accomplishing the following two main goals: (I) the training of engineers and experts in specific disciplines of water resources such as surface and groundwater hydrology, irrigation, water quality and other related disciplines; and (II) integration of technical multidisciplinary teams, efficiently coordinated by generalists with emphasis on management. Therefore, IUPWARE will put emphasis on imparting knowledge and skills to trainees in three levels, namely, basic, specific and integrated. The first level includes disciplines such as hydrology, statistics, hydraulics, ecology, hydrogeology, fundamentals of economy and water quality, and computing. Specific disciplines refer to the various activities with water such as irrigation, water supplies, waste water treatment, hydropower generation, hydraulic works, urban drainage, flood control, soil and water conservation and general use management. The last level relates to technical disciplines that treat water resources in an integrated way. In general these technical issues range from the operation research to the legal and institutional sectors. The growing tendency of public participation in the planning process, even in the developing countries, necessitates that subjects of social, political and communication areas form part of the study curriculum. In addition, workshops on environmental and policy sciences are included to emphasize the close relationship between water quantity and water quality. The above aims and scope should be considered as a contribution to the worldwide effort in the field of education, training and capacity building for water resources development. IUPWARE is therefore proud to receive the sponsorship of the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) of UNESCO, the United Nations

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Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It joins the network of 32 postgraduate programmes of IHP.

* Diplomas and Certificates offered IUPWARE offers - a Diploma of Complementary Studies in Water Resources Engineering to successful students after the 1st year; - a degree of Master of Science in Water Resources Engineering to successful students after the 2nd year; - a Certificate of Attendance to students who regularly attended classes but did not succeed in the examination requirements for one of the above mentioned programmes; - a Transcript of Academic Records is issued to all participants; - a PhD (doctoral) degree can be obtained by excellent performing students, holders of an MSc/MEng degree, after 3 or 4 years of additional stydy and research and the public defence of a doctoral dissertation.

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* Courses
First year: all students register at K.U.Leuven
Study curriculum for the degree of Complementary Studies (GAS) in Water Resources Engineering
SUBJECT Theory Practicals WorkshopsAssignments Credits 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6

C 1 : Advanced mathematics for water engineering 30 C 2 : Statistics for water engineering C 3 : Irrigation agronomy C 4 : Aquatic ecology C 5 : Hydraulics C 6 : Surface hydrology C 7 : Groundwater hydrology C 8 : Water quality and treatment WORKSHOPS Workshop 1 Calculus tools Information technology Economic analysis of water resources Workshop 2 Hydrometry Social, political and institutional aspects of water resources Environmental impact assessment Total 30 30 30 30 30 30 30

120

120

240

240

240

240

60

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Second year: all students register at V.U.B.

Study curriculum for the degree of Advanced Studies (GGS) in Water Resources Engineering
SUBJECT Common core: G1 : GIS & remote sensing in WRE G2 : Engineering hydraulics G3 : Water quality modelling G4 : Systems approach to water management G5 : Management of water use and re-use G6 : Integrated project design Seminar Thesis research Subtotal SELECT TWO COURSES G7 : Surface water modelling G8 : Groundwater modelling G9 : Irrigation engineering and technology G11 : Hydraulic modelling G12 : Water and waste-water treatment G13 : Monitoring of water quality G14 : Advanced aquatic ecology Subtotal for two courses 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 60 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 60 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 10 30 30 30 30 30 150 30 30 30 30 30 90 60 120 420 5 5 5 5 5 5 3 17 50 Theory Practicals Credits

G10 : Planning, operation and management of irrigation projects 30

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* Admission Requirements
Schematic presentation of the entry possibilities:

Summary table of the admission requirements for the "GAS" and the "GGS" programme in Water Resources Engineering Specification of the admission requirements Engineering Water 1st year Resources 2nd year

* BSc/BEng degree of a 4 year university programme (minimum grade: 2nd class honours, upper division honours degree) * Graduates from a 5 year university programme in agriculture or engineering B * Graduates from a 4 year non-university programme in industrial engineering A A B * MSc/MEng degree of a recognised university programme (minimum grade:

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Note: These admission requirements are requirements and do not guarantee automatic admission.

eligibility

All enquiries, including application forms, should be sent to: for the 1st year: K.U. Leuven Mrs. Greta Camps, IUPWARE - K.U. Leuven Kasteelpark Arenberg 1, 3001 Leuven (Heverlee) Tel.: +32-16-32 17 44 Fax: +32-16-32 19 56 E-mail: greta.camps@agr.kuleuven.ac.be E-mail: info@iupware.be http://www.iupware.be for the 2nd year: Department of Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering Pleinlaan 2 1050 Brussel Tel.: +32-2-629 30 21 Fax: +32-2-629 30 22 E-mail: hydr@vub.ac.be http://twws6.vub.ac.be/hydr/default.htm VUB

Note: PhD-candidates can only be admitted at VUB when the MSc curriculum has been successfully attended and the grade "good" (70%) has been awarded.

DETAILS, including the APPLICATION FORMS, Are available on INTERNET http://www.iupware.be

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* Management
I U PW A R E ' s m a na g em en t c o n s i st s o f : an ad v i s o r y b o ar d w i th r e pre s e nt a t i ve s o f i n ter na t i o na l or g an i s a t i on s ; a s t e er i n g co mm i t t ee w i t h 4 me mbe r s o f ea c h u n i v er s i t y ; the p r ogr a mm e c o m m i tt e e w i t h a l l t e a c h in g s ta ff , 2 t e a ch i n g a s s i s t a nt s o f e a c h u n i v er s i t y a n d 3 stu d e nt s of each st udy year . P r e se n t c o mp o s i t i on i s a s f o l l ow s :

ADVISORY BOARD
A b b ot t M . B. ( I n t er na t i on a l I n s t it u te fo r I n fr a s tru c t ur e , H y dr a u l i c s a n d E n v i r o n me n ta l E n g in e er ing , IH E) A e r t g eer t s R . ( Se n i or Pr o je c t O ff i c er , W H O ) B o s M .G . ( In t er na t i on al I n s t i t u te f o r L an d R e c l a ma t io n a n d I m pr o ve m en t, I LR I) Dir ickx J. (Honor ar y Gener a l Manager AWW, Past-Pr e sident IWSA, P a st- Pr e siden t T EC HW ARE) D u da l R . ( I n st i t u te fo r L and a nd Wa t er M a n ag em e nt) J a n s s e n s J . ( E x p er t S a n i ta r y E n g. , W or l d B a n k) Ka ssa m A. (R e sear ch and Te ch no lo g y D e ve l o pm e nt D i v i s io n , F A O ) R o dd a J. ( P ast - Pre s i d e nt I A H S) S z o l l o s i- N a gy A . ( Wa t er S c i e n c e s D i vis i o n , U N E SC O )

STEERING COMMITTEE
B a uw e n s W . ( VU B , D epa r t m en t of H y dr o lo g y a n d H ydr au lic Eng in e er ing) B e r la m on t J. ( K .U .L e u ve n , L a bo r a t or y of H ydr a u l i c s) D e M ee s t er L. ( K .U .L e u ve n , L a bo r a t ory of A qu a t i c E c o l o g y) D e S m ed t F . , v i c e c ha i r m an ( VU B , D epa r t m en t of H y dr o lo g y a n d H ydr au lic En g in eer in g) F e y en J . ( K .U .L e u ve n , L a b or at or y o f S o i l a n d W a t er ) R a e s D . , ch air ma n ( K .U .L e u ve n , L a b or at or y o f S o i l a n d W a t er ) W a s t i e l s, J . ( VU B , D e a n, F a c u lt y of App l i e d S c ie n ce s )

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V a n d er Be ke n A. H ydr au lic

( VU B ,

D epa r t m en t

of

H y dr o lo g y

and

En g in eer in g)

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LECTURERS AND ASSISTANTS

K .U .L eu ven : B er l a mo n t J . , Br en d on ck L . , D e Mee s t er L. , F ey e n J ., Portilla, J., Monballiu J., Raes D., T o o r m a n E . , Vae s G . , W i l le m s P . , Wyseur e G. VUB : B at e l aa n O . , B auwe n s W . , C oo ls J . , C or l u y J . , D e S m ed t F . , L i u Y . , M e y u s Y ., S e v er yn s J ., V an d er B ek e n A ., Ver be i r en B. , V er e l s t H .

BELGIAN VISITING PROFESSORS

P e t er s J. J . ( V U B) , R a mme l o o R ., T o l le n s E. ( K .U .L e u v en ) , Ver h o e v en R . (UG en t)

FOREIGN VISITING PROFESSORS

D e l l eu r J . ( P u r d u e U n i v. ) , G r af W . ( U n i v . L au s an n e) , J o l an ka i G . ( V ITU K I), V er h ae g he R . ( T U D ELF T ) , W ur b s R . ( T exa s A & M)

STUDENT MEMBERS OF PROGRAMME COMMITTEE

R e pre s e n ta t ive s 1 s t y e ar: I br a h im E l s y , P o k h are l S ur e s h, N y e k o P a u l R e pre s e n ta t ive s 2 n d y ea r : A b s E l K h a l e k Ah me d Y o u s se f S a y e d , K i g o b e M a x im i l l i a n , O s t i jn T in e

ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARIES
C am p s , G . ( K . U . L eu v e n) , D e C o n i n c k, H . ( V U B )

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* International Cooperation
IUPWARE supports UNESCO project with Al Azhar University in Gaza
The Ministry of the Flemish Community supports the UNESCO project 'Capacity building and training on environmental planning and management' in the Palestinian Territories. In this framework, IUPWARE cooperates with the Water Research Centre at the Al Azhar University in Gaza.

Exchange programme with Environmental & Hydraulic Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
Arranged by IUPWARE-VUB, the exchange programme with PURDUE UNIVERSITY, is designed for ambitious 2nd year (GGS) students interested in environmental and hydraulic engineering. It provides interested students with an opportunity to experience the American culture first hand while earning direct credit toward the MSc degree in Water Resources Engineering. The School of Civil Engineering at Purdue University, founded in 1887, has pioneering and leading programmes in hydraulic engineering and environmental engineering providing education, research and community service. The graduate programme with more than ninety students is the largest in the School of Civil Engineering. Surf to WEBpage at:

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http://www.ippu.purdue.edu/sa/ The graduate programme at Purdue runs from August to May. Some 30 graduate courses are being offered in environmental and hydraulic engineering, at least once per academic year. In addition to these courses, a variety of other related courses are available on campus. From this wide selection of courses, the graduate student can devise a plan of study tailored to the needs and objectives of the student. The more usual plans of study are targeted at specializations in hazardous waste, wastewater treatment, drinking water treatment, air pollution, environmental geotechnology, urban hydraulics, hydrology, groundwater, systems engineering, site remediation and industrial waste. However, other specializations such as environmental modelling, aquaculture, environmental microbiology, odor control, solid wastes, public health, etc. can be accomodated within the plan of study. The above exchange programme with Purdue University has received a funding for the period 1998-2002 from the European Commission under the project entitled: SCHOLAR AND MULTIMEDIA EXCHANGES IN ENVIRONMENTAL WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING AND SCIENCES. See Section 6.4 "European Programmes" hereafter.

IUPWARE supports VLIR COOPERA-TION project University,Ethiopia.

INTERUNIVERSITY with Mekelle

This Institutional University Cooperation program with Mekelle University, Ethiopia, sponsored by the VLIR, started in September 2003 and will run for 10 years. Several projects are set-up in which several professors of IUPWARE are involved. One of the projects deals with Water resources assessment and Management. The main emphasis is the comprehensive water resource assessment and hydrogeological data collection in the Geba catchment with implication for sustainable economic

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development and water resource management. The ultimate target is to assess water related problems and develop integrated and sustainable development in rural areas. In some selected areas the assessment of water quantity and quality will be made for impact analysis of water management. This will in turn have its positive impact towards the development of water management strategies of the country. This also includes local capacity building of expertise involved in the research activity, understanding the surface and subsurface water harvesting techniques, subsurface water and surface water modelling, and acquiring a sound understanding of the application of remote sensing and GIS technologies in water resources assessment and management. The local team consists of the departments of Applied Geology and Civil engineering; the Flemish team consists of: Prof. F. De Smedt (team leader) and Drs. O. Batelaan, Department of Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering, Vrije Universiteit Brussel Dr. J. Moeyersons, Dr. J. Lavreau, and Dr. Max Fernandez, Royal Museum for Central Africa Prof. K. Walraevens, Laboratory of Applied Geology and Hydrogeology, Universiteit Gent Prof. R. Swennen and Prof. Ph. Muchez, Physico-chemical Geology Section, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven W. Buytaert, Laboratory for Soil and Water Management, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

IUPWARE supports VLIR INTERUNIVERSITY COOPERA-TION project with University of Western Cape, South Africa.
See page 37 for more details

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3. PHYSICAL LAND RESOURCES

Objectives and contents of the programme
The objective of the course is to provide an academic training in research and modern applications in the fields of inventarisation, analysis, use and management of physical land resources and to prepare the students for tasks in development projects, at experimental stations and in education, research and services in government institutions and universities. A countrys physical land resources are a fundamental pillar of support for human life and welfare. Worldwide population pressures and severe degradation, pollution and desertification problems are threatening this - for several countries relatively scarce natural resource, and cause competition between agricultural or industrial purposes, urban planning and nature conservation. To guarantee proper use and management of this for a national basic commodity, well trained specialists with a thorough knowledge of the properties and characteristics of this natural source, and a solid insight in factors and measures that may alter its actual state and value, are warranted. The post-graduate programme in Physical Land Resources consists of two parts each covering one academic year: the Complementary Studies in Physical Land Resources and the Advanced (MSc) Studies in Physical Land Resources respectively. The Complementary Studies provide a general and comprehensive base in physical land resources and as such is accessible to students with a restricted knowledge of physical land resources, though with a good scientific background. Following the general basic courses mainly scheduled in the first semester, the Complementary Studies offer the possibility to major in one out of three options: (1) Analysis of physical land resources, (2) Use of physical land resources and (3) Management of physical land resources. The Advanced (or MSc) studies offer the same range of options as the Complementary studies. Within each option a package of specialised courses is offered from which the student can choose to compose his/her own programme. For admission to this programme, a sound background in physical land resources is required. All courses consist of theory and exercises. Some courses include fieldwork and may be supplemented with excursions. The programme of the Complementary Studies foresees seminars which may be either informative and interdisciplinary, and allow the students to participate actively and to work independently. For the Advanced Studies, a thesis has to be prepared and defended.

Selection of option and registration

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The post-graduate programme in Physical Land Resources is organised jointly by the University of Gent and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Lectures from both universities are providing the courses of the Complementary as well as the Advanced Studies. For the Complementary Studies, all the students have to register in Gent, where all the lectures and examinations will take place. For the Advanced Studies, the students have to register in Gent for the options Analysis and Management , and for the option Use of Physical Land Resources at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. ADDRESSES: V r i j e U n i v e rs it e it B ru sse l U n i ve r s it y o f G h ent Department of Hydrology and Hydraulic engineering Geological Instutute Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussel, Belgium Krijgslaan 281 (S8), B-9000 Gent, Belgium Tel. +32-2-629 30 21 -- Fax +32-2-629 30 22 Tel. +32-9-264 46 18 -- fax +32-9-264 49 91 E-mail:hydr@vub.ac.be E-mail: PLRprog.adm@rug.ac.be

http://wwwtw.vub.ac.be/hydr/phylares

Study programme
* Programme of the 1st year
A. Basic Courses Pedology Statistics and Informatics Climatology and Meteorology Soil Chemistry Soil Physics Soil Mineralogy Soil and Regolith Prospection Seminars B. Options Option 1: Analysis of Physical Land Resources Geology of Parent Materials 30 45 6 theory 30 30 30 30 30 30 15 15 training 45 30 30 45 30 30 45 credits 6 5 5 6 5 5 5 6

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Concepts of Micropodology Geomorphology Option 2: Use of Physical Land Resources Geology of Parent Materials Introduction to Engineering Geology Introduction to Environmental Geology

30 30

45 30

6 5

30 30 30

45 45 30 45 30 30

6 6 5 6 45 5

Option 3: Management of Physical Land Resources Desertification and Dry Land Farming 30 Plant-Water Relations in the Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Continuum 6 Rural Development Economics 30

* Programme of the 2nd year

The student has to select 8 courses from one of the three option packages offered to obtain a total of 40 credits . The remaining 20 credits are allocated for the dissertation and seminars. All courses consist of 30h of theory, 30h of training and 5 credits. Option 1: Analysis of Physical Land Resources * Land Information Systems * Soil Genesis * Land Evaluation * Analysis and Dynamics of Clays * Tropical Soils * Soil Classification and Mapping * Remote Sensing * Geo- and Archeopedology * Digital Landscape Image Interpretation * Quality of Groundwater Resources * Micropedology Option 2: Use of Physical Land Resources * Land Information Systems * Applied Geochemistry * Remote Sensing * Quaternary Geology * Soil Mechanics and Soil Stabilisation Techniques* Geological aspects of Geotechnical Engineering * Hydrogeology * Applied Sedimentology * Applied Geomorphology * Numerical Simulation Techniques * Applied Geophysics Option 3: Management of Physical Land Resources * Land Information Systems * Applied Soil Physics

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* Land Evaluation * Tropical Soils Systems * Remote Sensing * Irrigation and Drainage * Soil Water and Salinity Management

* Soil Erosion and Soil Conservation * Integrated Agricultural Land-Use * Chemical Soil Fertility Management * Soil Physical Chemistry * Microbial Ecology

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4. STUDENT THESES
MSc-Theses Academic Year 2002 - 2003
DANG TANH MAI
Development of an ARCGIS version of the WetSpass physically based distributed hydrologic model Promotor: Drs. O. Batelaan The WetSpass model was developed for the purpose of estimating the spatial distributed long-term average groundwater recharge. In this study, an ARCGIS version of the WetSpass physically-based distributed hydrologic model is made in which the watershed is represented as a grid cell mesh, and calculations of water balance, including the processes of surface runoff, actual evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge are accomplished based upon individual grid cells. WetSpass, coded in VBE, is built by macro programming to allow iterative sequence of map algebra calculations. The interfaces are developed specifically for model parameter sensitivity analysis. The module for viewing and manipulating temporal groundwater recharge and input data is very flexible and user-friendly. WetSpass uses a combination of empirical and physically based equations. The old version of WetSpass is temporally limited to quasi-steady state simulation of groundwater recharge. In this study an attempt was made to generate groundwater recharge for specified time steps such as 1-day, 10-days, 1-month, and 3-months using daily precipitation data. The nominal range sensitivity method, which evaluates the effect on model outputs exerted by varying only one of the model inputs across its entire range of plausible values while keeping all other inputs at their nominal or base-case values, was used for the sensitivity analysis. For demonstrating purposes the ARCGIS version of the WetSpass model was applied to estimate the water balance components, calculate groundwater recharge for 10-days and 1-month time interval, and the sensitivity of the model parameters was examined, using data of the Grote Nete catchment, situated in the Northeast of Belgium.

DEV Nagendra

Integrated irrigation project design Kutudhal Irrigation Project in Nepal Promotor: Prof. G. Wyseure

modelling:

case

study

of

The main objective of the thesis project was to design an irrigation project in a holistic way. As case study a hill irrigation project of Nepal, the

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Kutudhal Irrigation Project, was selected. The data collected in a survey by Silt Consultant Pvt. Ltd, Nepal, were used as input for the design of the headwork for canal diversion, the optimisation of the cross-section of the canal system, the calculation of the crop water requirement, and the agroeconomic analysis for the case study without project condition and with project condition. The financial analysis revealed the feasibility of the different project alternatives. Various relevant software (ArcView, DEM, Visual Basic, EXCEL, AutoCAD, etc.) was combined to achieve a flexible techno-economic analysis of alternative designs. The different steps in the holistic design were developed and applied to the headwork for the Kutudhal Irrigation Project. The net incremental benefit of the project was calculated by analysing the variation in yield before and after the project condition and other agro-inputs. Construction costs and net benefits were estimated for finding the Economic Internal Rate of Return (EIRR) and the Benefit/Cost (B/C) ratio to ascertain whether the project is viable economically.

DUMITRACHE Mugur

Technical and non-technical aspects of the catastrophic floods in the catchment of the Vilaine River, France Promotor: Prof. J.J. Peters In recent years, Brittany faced several catastrophic floods and the French authorities organised an assessment of the causes. The thesis deals with the survey conducted for the largest river in the region, the La Vilaine River. During the past century, dams were built to halt the tidal penetration in the river catchment; a first one in 1935 at Redon, about 50 km upstream the river mouth; a second in 1970 at Arzal, some 10 km from the sea. The latter had originally a flood-control vocation. It has become a multi-purpose hydraulic structure because of the changed demands: supply of drinking water, protection against seawater intrusion, navigation and level regulation during drought periods, tourism and river flood risk control. The river flood risk function in the enumeration of the usages of the dam stresses the evolution of the priorities in the last three decades. The absence of inundations from 1970 until 1994 made the main purpose of the dam - the flood protection - to be forgotten and replaced by more lucrative priorities, which are also vital for the regional development. However, catastrophic flood events in 1995, 1998 and 2000-2001 raised many questions about the causes and the way the floods were managed. Those floods provoked a conflict between the various uses of the dam and between the stakeholders. The thesis dealt with technical and non-technical aspects of the flood prevention, with due attention to the preservation of the environmental, the social and the institutional aspects, including the conflicts that arose among the

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users. Numerical model simulations were made to assess how marshes can be used for temporary floodwater storage.

DZIMEGA Theophilus

Water quality modelling with QUAL2E of Densu basin, Ghana Promotor: Prof. F. De Smedt A water quality model called QUAL2E, developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), was used to develop a management and decision making tool for the Densu River in Southern Ghana. This model has the ability to simulate up to 15 water quality constituents. The Densu River is the source of domestic and industrial water. It is probably one of the most polluted rivers in Ghana as a result of population explosion and because the river serves as a receptacle for industrial and municipal discharges, including untreated human excreta. Due to limitations of the model, only part of the entire river basin was studied and the constituents studied were dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD, nitrogen as NO 3 and NO 2 and NH 3 , and phosphorous as PO 4 . For this study, the model was calibrated on the basis of field and laboratory measurements for high flow regimes of the river and validated with an independent set of data for critical low flow periods. Literature values and professional judgments were applied in instances of insufficient field data. The study revealed that in general the simulated values compare well to the field measurements. On the basis of experimental errors, the root mean square values prove that there is sufficient proof for the model to be used for future predictions based on simulations of several other parameters. Since there is uncertainty involved in the modelling process, it is suggested that this study is used as a base for further studies on this river and other similar bodies in Ghana.

EIJKELENBURG An

Water balance and aspects of ecohydrology of flood dependent lakes in the Rufiji basin (Tanzania) Promotor: Prof. L. Brendonck It is believed that the lateral lakes adjacent to the floodplain of the Lower Rufiji basin play a crucial ecological role in the area, and several socio-economic activities are concentrated in and around them. However little is known about the hydrological regime of these lakes and to what extent their ecology depends on it. The flood pulse of the river is thought to be a key driving variable in the

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hydrology of the lakes; therefore the main issue of concern in this research was the water exchanges between the lakes and the Rufiji River, as it is likely that the Rufiji will be the object of large-scale development projects in the near future. Some of these developments will have major impacts on the hydrological regime of the river, thus influencing the water balance of the lakes. As is often the case in inaccessible and undeveloped areas in tropical regions, data and information for this study were limited. Short observation periods and missing data ruled out a detailed research. A simple model was developed to investigate the hydrological regime of the lakes. The results of the model highlighted that two aspects are important concerning their hydrologic behaviour: the degree of connectivity and the dependence on the connection. The degree of connectivity increases with the amount of water exchanged between the lakes, and with the duration of the connection. Concerning the degree of connectivity, the lakes could be divided into three groups, based on their location in the basin. The hydrologic dependence on the connection was not at all related to the degree of connectivity, but more to the balance of evaporation versus direct rainfall on and runoff to the lakes. From dependence on the river inflows, it is a small step to assess the vulnerability to desiccation, and the analysis of the behaviour of the lakes and the possible effects of changes in hydrological regime on the ecosystems confirmed that interference in the basin could have disastrous impacts on the lakes water balance and ecology.

FONTEYN Philippe

Development of a fuzzy recharge model Promotor: Drs. O. Batelaan Recharge is the process by which excess rainfall and contaminants enter groundwater. For the dynamics of aquifers and the pollution hazard a correct estimate of the recharge is, among other aspects, a very important input. For the estimation of the recharge mostly physical based deterministic models are used, which in combination with a GIS system, enables the reconstruction of the spatial and temporal recharge. Instead of using such an approach, in the thesis project use was made of the theory of fuzzy logics, which can be seen as a mathematical empirical tool to map some input space into some output space. The interest of using fuzzy logic lies in the fact that it can model non-linear functions of arbitrary complexity, used as a predictive tool based on some historical behaviour of the process, and deal with data having fuzzy boundaries and internal nonhomogeneity. Fuzzy model plays with "if-else" linguistic rules, where if part contains some combination of physical input parameters and else part is intended to be involved in recharge value computation, e.g., "if precipitation is high and LAI is low and then recharge is some output fuzzy number".

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The model in the thesis was developed on the basis of an artificial map that was built on purpose, combining a big range of landuse, soil type and slope. The input for the model were daily precipitation (annual serie), daily potential evapotranspiration (annual serie), leaf area index, porosity, field capacity, slope and root depth. Annual series were derived from records of the Etterbruck basin, Luxembourg (1997). The model was built using C + + programming language, providing high flexibility. The computation stage consisted in computing the recharge for each cell of the map by combining the output fuzzy numbers. Daily recharge for model calibration and validation of the fuzzy model were generated by WetSpass model.

GERITS Wim

The response of fish and zooplankton to bio-manipulation as a restoration measure in the Kraenepoel Promotor: Prof. L. De Meester The Kraenepoel is a shallow, fresh water lake (approximately 22 ha) in Aalter (Belgium). Originally oligotrophic, the lake lost most of its ecological and environmental value due to continuing eutrophication. The thesis project analysed the response of the zooplankton and fish community on the biomanipulation measures which were taken. In the northern part of the Kraenepoel, the bio-manipulation measures evoked a drastic positive change in the aquatic zooplankton communities. More species and more characteristically clear water species are present than before the measures were taken. However it should be stressed that the largest Daphnia species (D. magna) seemed to have disappeared the second year after bio-manipulation. This could be due to predation of an increasing small tench and perch population. The rotifer community biomass was constantly low. The first year after bio-manipulation, the southern part also hosted characteristically clear water species, like Daphnia magna and Calanoida. However, the rotifer Brachionus dominated the zooplankton in the southern part in 2002 before dredging, probably due to the highly acidic conditions likely to be established by the oxidation of sulphides into sulphate, as triggered by the drying up of South in 2000 and not removing the sediments then. In November 2002, after the dredging activities, a Daphnia magna population had established. The dredging of the southern part was only recently executed. No conclusions can yet be made about the success of the bio-manipulation here. Though the acidic conditions and low zooplankton biomass in 2002 of the southern part suggest dredging, activities are mostly needed as a restoration measure. Precise monitoring of this part will be needed to analyse all interacting components in the system the following years.

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GUNARATNE Thanuja Mahamada Arachchige Gangi

Promotor: Prof. D. Raes

Analysis of Ky approach for assessing the yield response to water

The overall goal of this thesis was to assess the use of the yield response factor (Ky) for estimating crop production response to water and to evaluate the minimum, additive and multiplicative approaches for the calculation of the effect of water stress in successive growth stages. Available data from Tunis for winter wheat, and Zimbabwe for maize and sorghum were used for this study. Actual relative yield was compared with the simulated relative yield using the minimum, additive and multiplicative approach. The minimum approach yields higher values for relative yield than the additive and multiplicative methods, respectively. The multiplicative approach gives in-between values for relative yield, where the additive approach predicts lowest. Tunis results illustrate a correlation of 0.71 between the simulated and the observed relative yield of winter wheat and the results from Zimbabwe show that the correlation values of actual relative yield and simulated relative yield of maize and sorghum are more than 0.85, when using the multiplicative approach. Based on the obtained results the multiplicative approach seems to be a better method to estimate the relative yield than the two other tested approaches.

HAESEVOETS Annelies

Comparative study of a surface energy balance and a soil water balance method to compute actual evapotranspiration. Case study: Northeast of South Africa Promotor: Prof. D. Raes Actual evapotranspiration can be, among other methods, derived by means of a soil water balance model or the analysis of the surface energy balance. The BUDGET model (Raes, 2002) calculates the actual evapotranspiration for a point in space for which meteorological data, crop and soil characteristics are available. SEBAL is a surface energy balance algorithm for the land phase, developed by Bastiaanssen (1995), using satellite information as input for deriving actual evapotranspiration at regional scale. The research compares the actual evapotranspiration at the location of selected weather stations using the BUDGET and SEBAL method. Both approaches were applied to the northeast region of South Africa for the period 1 April-30 June 2001, with the objective to verify if both methods produce comparable results and examine the potential if one approach can complement the other. The visual analysis of the computed actual evapotranspiration and the mean bias error criteria indicated that the SEBAL algorithm has the tendency to produce higher actual evapotranspiration values than the BUDGET model. In

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addition to the mean bias error criteria, the t-test and correlation coefficient, two important statistical criteria, were calculated. At some weather stations, the correlation coefficient between the BUDGET and SEBAL estimations is high, although the t-test, which compares the mean actual evapotranspiration values, was not significant. In this case, a correction factor can be used to adjust the results of the SEBAL algorithm to the estimates produced by the BUDGET model, given that the latter approach can be considered as the reference method. At other meteorological stations the t-test was significant, although the correlation was low. With other words equality of the mean actual evapotranspiration values does not necessarily imply good correlation. The analysis, i.e. upgrading the actual evapotranspiration at certain points in space using the BUDGET model to regional estimates using the SEBAL approach, as applied in the thesis research project can be integrated in fire risk assessment exercise. The actual evapotranspiration determines whether or not vegetation is stressed, and through that the fire risk.

MEEUSEN Anne

Inactivation of Bacillus ultraviolet radiation

Cereus

and

Bacillus

Subtilis

spores

by

Promotor: Prof. E.R. Blatchley Chlorination is widely used for disinfection of drinking water. However, this method of disinfection produces toxic or suspected carcinogenic by-products. An alternative for chlorine disinfection is the use of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. If sufficient UV energy can reach the micro-organisms in the water sample, UV radiation can effectively inactivate micro-organisms. The dose-response behaviour of micro-organisms is fundamental in the design and evaluation of water disinfection plants. Reliable inactivation data are important regarding indicator pathogenic micro-organisms. At this moment, little information is available on wavelength-specific dose-response behaviour among waterborne organisms to ultraviolet radiation. This thesis focused on obtaining action spectra for Bacillus cereus and Bacillus subtilis spores for wavelangths ranging from 240 to 300 nm. In addition, the disinfection capacity of UV radiation on different types of surfaces was investigated. Only an action spectrum for Bacillus cereus spores has been obtained. Not all wavelengths were equally effective in inactivating Bacillus cereus spores. The wavelengths of 250, 275 and 280 nm were most effective, whereas the wavelengths of 295 and 300 nm were least effective. In general, our results were in agreement with action spectra published in literature for microorganisms except at 254 nm. The nature of surfaces influenced the disinfection capacity of UV radiation. The inactivation of Bacillus cereus spores seemed to be most effective on aluminum and nitrocellulose membrane surfaces. Spores on paper, painted surface and

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plastic were not inactivated as effectively. It is hypothesized that porosity and other differences in surface characteristics play an important role.

NGAMENY Guy Joachim

Assessment of the sustainability of rainfed agriculture in Maroua, Northern Cameroon Promotor: Prof. D. Raes In order to analyse the sustainability of rainfed agriculture in the semi arid area of Maroua, Northern Cameroon, rainfall and potential evapotranspiration were analysed for the period 1977-2001. Following to previous, an analysis of the onset, cessation and the length of the growing season were conducted. The overall methodology used to conduct this work was a combination of dynamic (simulation) and statistical approaches. The rainfall and ETo analysis showed that rainfall has high variability while reference evapotranspiration is conservative. It was found that dry years are expected one year out of six. The analysis of the length of growing season revealed high variations over time of the onset of the growing season as well as of the length of the growing season. Previous reflects the complex and risky tasks farmers face at each new cropping period. A noticeable relationship was found between the onset and the length of the growing season, while no relationship could be established between annual rainfall and onset, nor annual rainfall and length of growing season. Crop type, soil type, reference evapotranspiration and daily rainfall were considered in a soil water balance model (BUDGET) to simulate relative yield and relative evapotranspiration. This was done for 18 successive growing seasons and for maize, sorghum and cotton. The results suggest that good yields can be obtained with crop cultivars short in length and/or drought resistant and when sowing takes place in July. More research-oriented experiments could help to validate these conclusions.

NSANZINEZA Philbert

Recharge methodologies: comparing WetSpass model with HELP model Promotor: Drs. O. Batelaan The research consisted in the comparison of two mathematical hydrological models, the WetSpass and HELP model, respectively, with respect to their capacity of predicting the recharge to the aquifer system. Although the structure and the number of processes in each of those models are different, both models use more or less the same model input. WetSpass simulates the spatial pattern of surface runoff, evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge, is integrated in GIS ArcView and especially suitable for studying long-term effects of land use changes on the water regime of a river basin. The HELP model was originally

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designed for the assessment of the hydrological performance of landfills. In the comparative study the input data used were: daily precipitation, temperature, evapotranspiration, land use, soil properties and the initial and boundary conditions. The results reveal that recharge rates simulated by the HELP model are higher than those simulated by the WetSpass model. The latter is most likely due to the fact that WetSpass computed higher evapotranspiration rates. The results however, mainly by lack of verification data, are not conclusive.

QUAX Bart

Economical flood analysis: from water depth to flood damage costs. A case study of the Dender (Belgium) Promotor: Prof. W. Bauwens The thesis project examined the effect of the relationship between the flood depth and the flood damage costs on the total and average flood damage costs, using the framework developed by Vanneuville (2002). The approach was applied to the Dender catchment in Flanders, Belgium. A sensitivity analysis was conducted as to assess the effect of an error on the water depth (flood depth) and the shape of the stage-damage curves. The framework of Vanneuville (2002) starts from maximal potential damage losses for each land use and uses stage-damage curves to convert for each water depth the potential loss to an actual damage cost. This methodology was applied to the Dender catchment for three floods (return period 1, 5 and 100 years) using exact water depths. The analysis revealed that the total costs and the average damage increased with the return period of the storm, but not as much as the potential damage would suggest. In the sensitivity analysis the effect of an error on the water depth was examined. With a fixed error of 15 cm, the final damage costs changed by 76%. For a simplified variable error with a standard deviation of 7.5, the boundaries of the 95% confidence interval are 36% of the original result. In addition the effect of different stage-damage curves was examined. Depending on the selected stage-damage curve, differences up to 70% were obtained. Furthermore, the effect of a variable error, with a standard deviation of 25% on the stage-damage curve, was measured on the final result, using a Monte-Carlo simulation. The computed boundaries of the 95% interval were very narrow, less than 2%, and therefore it was concluded that the effect of an uncertainty on the final damage costs is much more pronounced for water depths than for stage-damage curves.

ROCHA ECHEVERRIA David Jhon

Sensitivity analysis of soil hydraulic properties on subsurface water flow in furrows Promoter: Prof. J. Feyen

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In the present study, an extensive sensitivity analysis was performed in order to investigate the effects of various soil hydraulic properties on subsurface water flow below furrows. Of particular interest for this research was to evaluate the effects of different soil hydraulic parameters during two successive irrigation events on soil water contents, pressure heads, and cumulative outlet fluxes, to see whether or not the second irrigation was more sensitive and to analyse the effect of spatial variations in the initial soil water contents within the soil profile. The sensitivity analyses were carried out using the HYDRUS-2D model of Simunek et al. (1999) for two irrigations 10 days apart; each irrigation lasted 180 min and then followed atmospheric conditions. Results showed that the first irrigation event was clearly more sensitive than the second one. The latter was mainly associated to the non-uniformity of the initial soil water contents within the soil profile. Pressure heads in the soil profile were more sensitive than cumulative outlet fluxes and soil water contents. Sensitivity analysis results for pressure heads, cumulative fluxes and water contents, indicated that in every case the most sensitive parameter was n followed by s, Ks, r, and , being l the least sensitive during both irrigation events. During cumulative outlet flux sensitivity analyses, it was found that sensitivity of each parameter increased with time during the first irrigation while the sensitivity coefficients were almost constant during the second irrigation except for s, which showed a decreasing tendency during the second irrigation. Pressure head sensitivity analysis for all parameters studied, showed the least sensitivity linked with the wetting front as it gradually moved deeper with time, and the highest sensitivity values were observed in those regions where the initial soil water contents were lower. Similarly for water contents higher sensitivity values appeared in the drier regions during the first irrigation while in the second irrigation near the moisture front. Both pressure heads and water contents showed some sensitivity near the soil surface during both irrigations, suggesting importance of evaporation from the soil surface.

RUBARENZYA Mark Henry

Promotor: Prof. G. Wyseure

Analysis of rainwater harvesting by PARCHED-THIRST model

The research was carried out for rainwater harvesting with a simulated maize crop being grown in the two locations of Soroti and Morogoro. In both cases, it was possible to obtain a long record of agro-meteorological data for the study area, and to process this data for input into the PARCHED-THIRST model: (http://www.cluwrr.ncl.ac.uk/models/parchedthirst/index.html). With this data, simulations were then run on the model for two different maize varieties with scenarios of varying area ratios. The intention was to design a suitable rainwater harvesting system for the study area. The differences in crop production upon adoption of the new agricultural technology were evaluated with

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the help of indicators including the annual yields, seasonal yield differences, and Water Use Efficiency. Thereafter, it was possible to design the system and to test a procedure for optimisation. The research shows that rainwater harvesting is necessary for the cultivation of maize in the study areas; that increased catchment ratios do not necessarily translate into increased yields, therefore there is a need to optimise the system so as to obtain the maximum dividends per given amount of land; and that not all crop varieties will do well at a given place.

SCHEPERS Bart

The investigation of a simple in-situ erosion flume: the ISEF Promotor: Prof. E. Toorman In order to get river bed material eroded a minimal shear stress has to be applied by the flow, known as the critical stress for erosion or erosion resistance. Measurements in laboratory conditions usually are not representative for the real natural bottoms. Therefore, measurement in the field is preferred. Several devices have been designed for this purpose, however non of them is truly reliable. The simplest in-situ device is a duct, without bottom, which is placed on the sediment bed. The flow is induced by a propeller and is circulated through the duct. Concentrations and velocities are measured and stored in a data logger. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the shear stress distribution in such a device by the use of a numerical model. Several in-situ erosion devices are available, such as: the Sea Carrousel, the ISEF, the PES, the ISIS, the Eromes, etc., but for this study the ISEF (In-Situ Erosion Flume) was selected. The data gained from experiments with the ISEF were compared with findings in an earlier study by Houwing (1998), and consequently with the results of a numerical simulation of the fluid flow inside the ISEF. The velocity profile computed out of the numerical model, using smooth walls fits very well into the measurements with the ISEF, using a smooth bed. The experimental tests, as well as the numerical simulation, show that the shear stress distribution over the test section of the ISEF is not uniform. Therefore, a clear relationship between the velocities at the beginning and end of the test section is required.

SOOKHRAZ Sanjay

Sublethal effects of tributyltin on reproduction in medaka (Oryzias latipes) Promotor: Prof. F. Ollevier

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Sexually mature medaka fish ( Oryzias latipes ) were exposed for a period of six weeks to sublethal concentrations of tributyltin (1, 10 and 100 ppt) and the effects on the reproduction were evaluated based on fecundity, hatching rates, sperm motility, gonadosomatic index and histology of the gonads. Experiments were conducted in a continuous water flow system in which the respective TBT solutions were renewed on a regular basis (2 l/day). Fecundity of the female fish was determined by counting produced eggs on a daily basis for a period of one month. Eggs were incubated either in clean or parental water and the hatching rates were calculated at hatching of all eggs. After 5 weeks of exposure, the fish were sacrificed to determine the gonadosomatic index, hepatosomatic index and condition factor. Computer Assisted Sperm Analysis (CASA) was used to determine sperm motility of the male fish. Testes and ovaries were embedded in LR white resin for histology. Larvae hatched from eggs collected on the last day of sampling were incubated in parental water and were grown in clean water until sexual maturity to constitute the first generation of maternally exposed fish. A decline in fecundity and hatching rates was observed only in the 100 ppt TBT treatment of the parental fish, while reduced sperm motility was observed in 10 ppt TBT condition. Histology of the gonads did not reveal any abnormal effects on the gonadal cells, probably due to the very low concentrations of TBT and the short duration of exposure. Decrease in fecundity was also observed for the first generation fish in 100 ppt condition indicating inheritance of effect from the parents. It was concluded that 100 ppt concentration of TBT was high enough to affect the fecundity of female fish and hatching rates of their eggs while 10 ppt TBT affected the motility of spermatozoa in male fish. This study demonstrates that tributyltin affect reproduction in medaka even at sublethal concentration and the effect is transferred to the offspring and thus a multi-generation test will help understand better the toxicity mechanism.

SUTAN Royansyah

Comparison between two soil water balance models (BUDGET & CROPSYST) Promotor: Prof. D. Raes The thesis research consisted in the comparison of two soil water balance models, the BUDGET model and the CropSyst, cropping system simulator. Raes (2002) of the Laboratory of Soil and Water Management (K.U.Leuven, Belgium) developed the BUDGET model and Stckle and Nelson (1990) of the Biological Systems Engineering Department of the Washington State University, USA, developed CropSyst. Both approaches require climate, crop and soil data as input. The BUDGET model analyses the soil water balance and predicts crop response to the water availability in the profile

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root zone using the FAO approach (Doorenbos and Kassam, 1979). CropSyst is a multi-year, multi-crop, and daily step crop growth simulation model. This model simulates in addition to the soil water budget, also the soil nitrogen budget, and the crop biomass in response to water and nitrogen. Furthermore CropSyst simulates soil water erosion and the transport and fate of pesticides. The models differ in the way the response of the crop to water is calculated. Data for the comparison of both models were taken from the Rufijis floodplain in Tanzania, for the season 26 December 2001 - 29 April 2002. The analysis was conducted for maize. Both models provided comparable variations in soil water content. Comparing the simulated crop yields, the B U D G E T m o d e l p r e d i c t e d a r e l a t i v e y i e l d o f 7 7 %, w h e r e a s C r o p S y s t predicted a ratio of 83% between the actual and the potential yield. Results of the BUDGET model were also compared to observed soil moisture content data, collected in Tunisia. The agreement between measured and observed soil water content data, and observed and computed relative yield, was acceptable, indicating that the BUDGET model, given the correct choice of model parameters, is able to reconstruct the soil water balance during the growing season and predict the yield reduction due to water stress.

VANHAM Davy

Water balance of the Cutuchi river basin (Ecuador) for two scenarios of land development Promotor: Prof. D. Raes The main objective of the thesis research project was the calculation of the monthly water balance of the Cutuchi river basin for two different land use situations, i.e. the actual and a hypothetical situation. The Cutuchi river basin, 2,670 km2 in area, is situated in the Andes mountain range in Ecuador, south of the capital Quito, and belongs to the Amazon watershed. The current land use is mainly agriculture, often irrigated, with urban patches. Industry is of minor importance in the basin. The main water uses are irrigation and the generation of hydro-electricity, and to a lesser extent domestic use. In the hypothetical land use situation it is assumed that large areas are forested to reduce primarily erosion and that the irrigated area is larger. The water balance on a monthly basis for the current and hypothetical situation is made using the MIKE BASIN software, a modelling tool for river basin planning and management, completely integrated with ArcView GIS, and distributed by the Danish Hydraulic Institute. River basin management and planning for a basin may broadly be conceived as an attempt to identify the best possible utilisation of the available water resources given the spatial distribution of soils, land use, agricultural, engineering and social constraints.

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The analysis revealed that (a) when water demand for hydropower is not included, generally 90% of the water demand is for irrigation purposes for both the current and hypothetical land use situations, and for all three conditions dry, normal and wet- analysed; (b) the current planning and management results in water shortages in several irrigation schemes in dry spell periods, however different actions (i.e., cultivation of less water demanding crops, improvement of the scheme efficiencies, the installation of reservoirs, etc.) can be undertaken to minimise and avoid irrigation deficits; and (c) for further analysis it would be optimal if the MIKE BASIN software is combined with a hydrological model to get a more accurate assessment of the runoff as a function of the land use.

VU Hoc Khac

Hyperspectral vegetation and water quality mapping of the Doode Bemde wetland Promoter: Drs. O. Batelaan The research aimed at testing the use of airborne hyperspectral image data for determining the abundance fraction of vegetation, land cover, the distribution of vegetation communities, and the mapping of water quality. The data for the analysis were collected by ground measurements and air. During three flights pictures were collected using the CASI-SWIR sensor, covering 96 spectral bands within the wavelength range between 428 and 971 nm. The survey covered an area of approximate 1.3 km 2 of the nature reserve Doode Bemde, situated in the centre of Belgium. The image data were calibrated and converted to reflectance data. The vegetation fraction abundance map of the surveyed area was created based on the end-members, extracted directly from the images using the spectral linear unmixing model. The Spectral Angle Mapper supervised classification method was applied for mapping land cover, including the mapping of the distribution of vegetation communities. Approximately 53% grass communities, 28% deciduous trees and 4% water covers the study area. The analysis revealed that chlorophyll concentration is strongly correlated with the band ratios R550/R590 nm and R700/R670 nm, and water turbidity is highly correlated with the first derivative of R700 and R675 nm. The chlorophyll-a concentration values in the water in the ponds in the study area range between 0 and 35 mg m - 3 and the water turbidity values vary between 3.5 and 9 NTU. The latter were determined by applying the empirical equation developed by Naseer A. Shafique et al. (1999).

YIRDAW ZELEKE Sitotaw

Hyperspectral remote sensing and groundwater simulation for detecting riparian wetness gradients Promotor: Drs. O. Batelaan

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In the present study, an integrated hyperspectral remote sensing and GIS based methodology is developed and tested for the evaluation of the groundwater flow system of the Doode Bemde wetland, in the valley of the Dijle River, Belgium. In the thesis project three aspects were studied, namely: (a) the setting-up of a 3-D groundwater model of the region using MODFLOW, (b) extraction of information about the groundwater flow system from CASI-SWIR hyperspectral data using ENVI 3.5 software, and (c) comparison of each individual CASI-SWIR band with the simulated groundwater depth and discharge-recharge zones. The simulated discharge areas were verified by hyperspectral remote sensed data. The first principle component is found to be the best for the identification of recharge zones in the study area. An area cross-tabulation two-dimensional table, that summarizes the aerial overlap of all the possible combinations of the two input maps (from the hydrological model and the image), or an error matrix was applied for expressing the classification accuracy. The correlation values between 0.6 and 0.65 are observed on the wavelength domain from 0.90 to 1.30 m and on the first principle component with the groundwater depth. These bands are among the best for use as a source of information for shallow groundwater depth (up to 1.5 m) under natural grassland.

MSc-Theses for the Interuniversity Programme in Physical Land Resources (PHYLARES)

ACHARYA Govind
GIS Approach for Slope Stability Risk Analysis: A Case Study from Nepal Promotor: Prof. F. De Smedt Slope stability analysis on regional scale has been carried out for the northern part of Rasuwa district in Nepal covering 409.3 km2 applying infinite slope method. Total eight results from various return periods and hypothetical saturation (completely dry, half and fully saturated) environments have been examined during the analysis. Wetness index for those respective return periods were computed based on the daily precipitation data for 20 years starting from 1972. In order to predict the precipitation for various return periods, Log Pearson type III method was employed running the Smada 6, hydrological software. The result showed that the area falling in the lower threshold sloping zone ranged from 0.21%

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when the soil was completely dry to 7.11% under the completely saturated condition. Area falling in the stable sloping zone was decreased from 85 to 47% from completely dry to fully saturated condition. On the other hand, the area falling in the moderately stable, quasi-stable and lower threshold sloping zone were found increasing significantly with gradual increase in the saturation index. Similarly, the average decrease in safety factor with increase in slope gave a linear relationship.

DUY BINH Nguyen

Integrating remotely sensed and geophysical data for geological study in Tamduong NW Vietnam Promotor: Drs. O. Batelaan Geological maps describe the distribution of geological features within a landmass. Information from surface mapping is commonly used to postulate the distribution of geological features in the subsurface. Surface geological features may be traceable in bedrock outcroppings (ground surveys), from air photographs (photogeological reconnaissance) and/or from satellite images. In the subsurface, geological features may be perceptible in boreholes, cuttings and/or surface geophysics methods. These lead to an idea that geophysical data should be integrated with remotely sensed data because these two sources of data can complement each other. With two data sources: remotely sensed data and geophysical data corresponding to surface and subsurface geology aspects, this report aims at presenting the integrating those data in geological studies, a case study in Tam Duong, NW Vietnam.

MY LINH Nguyen

Stabilization of Kaolinitic soil from Viet Nam for construction purposes Promotor: Prof. J. Wastiels Nowadays stabilization soils have been used widely in construction purpose. This research is one of many soil stabilization applications. The process consists of changing NaOH quantities, and then the moulded and cured specimens are subjected to various tests to evaluate their response to the stabilization. In this research, the soil samples were taken from Vietnam where there are a lot of kaolin mines and the kaolin quality is very good. The result showed that the stabilised soils have been tested on improvement in strength, density. If amount of sand suited with clay and NaOH, the density becomes higher. By considering density, water

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absorption and strengths, best results for TB1 and HK1 have obtained by the composition of 5% NaOH and 4.4% NaOH, correspondingly. The TB1 clay show lower strength than HK1 clay and in both given NaOH content, the addition of sand showed improvement in strength to optimum value. The maximum strength of material was obtained 44.91kN/m2 under dry condition. It was concluded that kaolinitic soils can be stabilized successfully with NaOH and sand to form an energy saving strong and durable construction material.

SANCHEZ ALARCON Juan Fernando

Soil moisture estimation by hyperspectral remote sensing in the Doode Bemde area in the valley of the Dijle river, Flanders, Belgium Promotor: Drs. O. Batelaan This study is focused on the examination of the utility of using airborne high-resolution hyperspectral remote sensing to measure soil moisture content. The accuracy of the estimation was validated using ground reference data that included soil moisture measurements collected with theta probes in the study field at specific locations. Two main analyses were performed in order to fulfill the requirements of this investigation, Field data analysis and Hyperspectral Remote Sensing analysis. Field data analysis was performed on soil moisture measurements taken the same day as the remotely sensed images were acquired; interpolation of these measurements was done in order to create a digital surface model in terms of soil moisture. Other analysis were performed on the field data, especially to find the moisture behaviour of the soil in the study field in a period of two months, the results reveal that the soil moisture content increased up to 25% in almost the entire area in the first 30 days, and more than 41% in a period of 60 days. Soil moisture distribution in the study field is linked to the relief of the area. Hyperspectral Remote sensing analysis was performed on hyperspectral imagery acquired the same day as the field measurements were done. The analyzed imagery belongs to the CASI sensor, and consists of 96 Bands ranging from 0.4280um to 0.9710um with a pixel resolution of 2.44by 2.44 meters. Results show that the best suited wavelength domain to estimate soil moisture is located in the Near Infrared part of the spectrum, from 0.9140um (Band89) to 0.9710um (Band96). The correlation factor for this wavelength domain was above 0.82 compared with field observations.

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THANPORNANUN INTIRA
Promotor: Prof. J. Wastiels

Stabilization of Kaolinitic soil from Thailand for construction purposes

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the quality and suitability of Kaolinitic soil from Thailand. Thus, the possibility of using the mineral polymerization technique for construction purpose. Inorganic polymerization refers to the reactions between alkali (NaOH) and group of aluminosilicates minerals are formed. To achieve these objective, three different soil samples were brought from Lumpang Province that located the North of Thailand. Results on compressive strength are obtained estimate at 25 MPa for dry condition and 8.0 to 9 MPa for immersed and cycling condition. Within the main variables being particle replacements of composition by 100 of clay, 125 of sand, 10 of NaOH and 20 of water content in the fraction.

Doctoral Theses at the Department Of Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering

EL IDRYSY El Houcyne
Hydrogeological study of the Trifa aquifer, based on a multidisciplinary approach using geostatistics, GIS, and numerical modelling Promotor: Prof. F. De Smedt The plain of Trifa is the most productive agricultural area of eastern Morocco. The groundwater of Trifa, being the main source of water for supplying the plain with irrigation and domestic water, is a vital natural resource for the plain and the entire neighboring region because the regional economy is largely based on agricultural activities. The development of the agriculture during the last decades increased the flux of human immigration and so the risk of depletion and contamination of the groundwater. The depletion problem is due to extensive use of the groundwater in irrigation, which, after evapotranspiration, increases salt concentration in the roots zone. During rainy seasons, the salt is leached and carried to groundwater by infiltration. To be able to predict the future trend, to assess the contamination risks and plan possible management actions, we have to understand the functioning mechanism of the aquifer system and its regional environment. Therefore, the main goal of this study is to construct numerical models that reproduce the surface-water and

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groundwater systems, and their interaction. Geostatistics, GIS, and electrical method are used to estimate the input parameters of the models. These numerical models will also be very useful tools to investigate the effect of alternative water and land use scenarios, possible climate change, and other potential sources of contamination.

GEBREMESKEL GUANGUL Seifu

Modelling the effect of climate and land-use changes on the hydrological processes: an integrated GIS and distributed modelling approach Promotor: Prof. F. De Smedt This research work investigates the effects of land-use and climate changes on the hydrological processes using the WetSpa distributed hydrologic model. A case study of river restoration, effects of alternate scenarios of land-use and climate changes are analysed for a basin located in the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg. First, the effects of natural river restoration to mitigate flooding is simulated by restoring first and second order streams to their natural conditions, so that obstruction and resistance to the flow increases. The restoration simulation result indicate that natural restoration of the lower order streams can reduce the volume peak discharge by 12% and delay the time of concentration by a few hours downstream. For land-use change analysis, three scenarios are investigated: urbanization, deforestation and afforestation. The comparisons of results for each scenario show that urbanization can increase the volume of peak floods by as much as 26%. Deforestation also increases peak discharges but to a lesser extent than urbanization. The result for the afforestation scenario indicates that peak flows can increase by as much as 5.3%. Moreover, the afforestation scenario is found to increase soil moisture and base flow. For the simulation of the effect of climate change in the basin, a statistical relationship of observed daily precipitation to National Centre for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis data is formulated for period 1961 to 1990. Then, the WetSpa simulation with downscaled data is verified for the period 1997 to 2000, for which observed temperature, precipitation and streamflow are available. Future implementation is performed with predictor variables from the coupled HadCM3 atmosphere-ocean general circulation model experiments from U.K. Meteorological Office, Hadley Centre that has been forced with A2 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emission scenarios. The result of the climate analysis indicates that the frequency of flooding and magnitude is expected to increase in the future.

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THANH TAM Vu

Characterization of a Karstic system by an integrative and multiapproach system. A case study of Suoi Muoi and Nam La catchments in Northwest Vietnam Promotor: Prof. F. De Smedt Co-promotor: Prof. A. Dassargues This research work, carried out within the framework of the project A3210 and funded by the Flemish University Council (VLIR), investigates hydrogeological characteristics of the highly mountainous fractured and karstified carbonate rocks in the Suoi Muoi and Nam La catchments in NW Vietnam. In the study area, the rivers of Suoi Muoi and Nam La drain the entire surface and ground water and disappear underground at the catchment outlet. Integrative and multi-approach studies on the geostructure, the cave development, tracer tests, streamflow components, and time series analyses on the rainfall and streamflow are carried out. The result shows that in the study area the groundwater mainly resides in the host rock fractures and tectonic lineaments. The cavernous conduits act as conveyers and galleries to drain the catchment to discharge point(s) and their groundwater storage is regionally insignificant. In addition, analysis on the relationship between lineament-length density and borehole specific capacity points out that not only the borehole geomorphological position but also the lineament distribution influence the specific capacity. That is, boreholes in discharge areas have a higher specific capacity than in recharge areas, and in recharge areas the high lineament-length density indicates a high specific capacity. Interpretation of recovery well tests in the study area shows that the transmissivity of the karstic aquifers is spatially variable but well comparable to the values reported in literature for carbonate rocks of secondary porosity. Hydrodynamic properties of the Nam La Rivers underground conduits, including the system memory, the response time, and the system input-output mean delay, are also revealed. It is also shown that during high flow periods, when the inflow exceeds the system conveying capacity, the conduit locally becomes under pressure and the river water can temporarily stored in the Nong Lua doline.

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5. RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT and

DISSEMINATION
Bilateral Scientific and Technical Cooperation with Poland Biebrza wetland research
2003 was the final year of the project Ecological responses to changing hydrological conditions in floodplains, the Biebrza wetlands (North-East Poland) project. In this project, financed from Flemish Community, the Laboratory of Hydraulics of the University of Gent (UG), the Department of Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering (VUB), the Agricultural University of Warsaw and the University of Antwerp (UA), Department of Biology (promotor) cooperate. The project studies the important interactions between hydrology and ecology in the upper Biebrza River Catchment. During 2003 the study of the surface and groundwater dynamics and interaction and nutrient cycling continued by way of measurement campaigns (24-30 April, J. Severyns, B. Verbeiren, E. Verbeken and O. Batelaan). On December 8 a final workshop was organized in Antwerp, for the Department presentations were given by B. Verbeiren and O. Batelaan. Prof. S. Ignar visited the department from 12-17 August for discussions. Ir. A. Maksymiuk, Dr. I. Kardel and R. Michalowski stayed from 24-31 August at the Department, while O. Batelaan stayed at the Agricultural University of Warsaw (29/11-5/12) to work on the groundwater model of the Upper Biebrza. Although this project finished, co-operation in Biebrza and in the field of wetland research with these partners will continue by way of the WETHYDRO project and a FWO project.

O . Bat e l aan , B . V e rbe i r en , J. Severyns, E. Verbeken.

Centre of Excellence Hydrology: WETHYDRO

in

Wetland

The department is partner in a research project supported by the European Commission under the Fifth Framework Programme and contributing to the implementation of the Key Action "Sustainable Management and Quality of Water". The overall objective of the WETHYDRO project is to increase the scientific potential of the Department of Hydraulics Engineering and Environmental Recultivation, of the Agricultural University of Warsaw, Poland, through increased international cooperation and by expanding its role as a regional centre of excellence in wetland hydrology. The project activities will also facilitate integration of the Centre of Excellence within

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the European Research Area within the European Commission's Sixth Framework Programme in the "Global Change and Ecosystems" and water cycle priorities. Results of the project will contribute to the implementation of the EU Habitat Directive and Water Framework Directive in NAS countries. The project will also contribute to increasing awareness amongst the public, technical staff and other stakeholders of the role of wetlands in integrated water resources management. The scientific research interests of the Centre are focused on two areas: hydrological modelling of wetlands and coupling this hydrological knowledge with ecological and management issues. J. Corluy and O. Batelaan participated in 2nd workshop, organized in the framework of WETHYDRO, on Integrated eco-hydrological assessment: coupling ecological methods with hydrological and water quality models in GIS and which took place in Goniadz - Biebrza National Park, Poland, from 12-14 September 2003. For more details on WETHYDRO, see http://levis.sggw.waw.pl/wethydro/.

O . Bat e laan , J. Co rluy, F. De Sm edt

Cooperation projects with South-Africa

The exchange project, Sustainable approaches to integrated management of aquatic resources in Southern Africa, a cooperation with the University of Stellenbosch and the K.U.Leuven is supported by the bilateral (international) scientific and technological co-operation programme of the Flemish Community. On 30 September 2003 the final workshop of the project was organized in Leuven. O. Batelaan gave a presentation on A methodology for mapping regional groundwater discharge dependent ecosystems. Late 2003 a new VLIR sponsored Interuniversity Cooperation project started with the University of Western Cape. This umbrella project consists of several sub-projects, the department is partner in the project Sustainable utilisation of subterranean water resources for improvement of quality of life, coordinated by the IUPWARE lecturer Prof. L. Brendonck (K.U.Leuven). Objective of the project is to increase the critical mass to integrate research on subterranean water and surface ecosystems in order to facilitate the implementation of the Resource Directed Measures (RDM) of the national water act (1998) in the Table Mountain Group (TMG) area and enhance education in water and environmental sciences.

O . Bat e l aan a nd F. D e Sm edt

Curricula Development in Morocco

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The department is partner in a TEMPUS Joint European project supported by the European Commission on Curricula Development on Soil and Water Resources Protection using Information and Communication Technologies (SWARP-ICT). Contractor of the project is the Wageningen University, The Netherlands, while the Universite Mohamed V-Agdal, Morocco, represented by the IUPWARE alumnus Dr. Abdelkader Larabi, is the main beneficiary. Other partners are the Aristotele Univesity of Thessaloniki, Greece, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Morocco and the Warsaw Agricultural University, Poland. The overall objective of the SWARP-ICT project is the development of a new MSc program on soil and water resources protection using information and communication technologies. The duration of the MSc program will be 2 years or 120 ECTS, the language of instruction will be French. Besides the elaboration of the MSc program curriculum, staff and student mobilities between the partners, short intensive courses for staff and students and upgrading of library and teaching laboratories are planned. F. De Smedt participated in the first project meeting in Rabat.

O . Bat e l aan , F. D e Sme dt

Delineation in GIS of groundwater bodies in Flanders: towards the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive.
For the purpose of implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), groundwater bodies need to be delineated as the units for reporting and assessing on the status of groundwater. A groundwater body is defined as a distinct volume of groundwater within an aquifer or aquifers. In response to this need, a methodology to delineate regional aquifers in Flanders (Belgium) is described based on solid modelling. Emphasis is placed on the harmonization of a vast amount of data originating from different databases into a hydrogeological database in geographic information systems (GIS). Aquifers are delineated by their occurrence (as 2-D line maps) and by their thickness and base (as grids), such that combined, they fully represent an aquifer in three dimensions. This work highlights the scientific challenges of the WFD and the potentials of aquifer and groundwater models for integrated groundwater management.

J . Co ol s , Y.M e yu s, O . Ba t el a an and F . De Sm edt

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Development of a groundwater model for four brook valleys at the southern side of the Campine plateau in Flanders
From 2001 until the beginning of 2003, the Department participated with the University of Antwerp (UA) and project promotor Kiwa Research and Consultancy (Nieuwegein, The Netherlands) in a project that aimed to develop an ecosystem vision for four brook valleys at the southern side of the Campine plateau in Flanders. The brook valleys in concern are the upstream parts of the brooks Asbeek, Roelerbeek, Bezoensbeek, and Zutendaalbeek, which are all situated in the forested area southeast of Genk. The project started on request of the Flemish Administration for Environment, Nature, Land, and Water Management (AMINAL) in the framework of the governmental MINA-plan 2 (Flemish Environment and Nature Programme). The task of the Department was to characterize the ground water system in the brook valleys and indicate the hydrological potential for nature development, considering different scenarios of water resources management. The modelling was carried out in a similar way as was done for previous ecosystem studies of the Valley of the Zwarte Beek and some tributaries of the Dender River. After an intensive elaboration of a digital elevation model and the preparation of digital maps of the hydrogeology, land use, soil types, hydrometeorological parameters and other input data concerning the groundwater system, a detailed (20m x 20m) steady state groundwater model was constructed with the MODFLOW software. This model was used to characterize the groundwater system on a local and regional scale, i.e. predict ground water depths, the location of ground water discharge and infiltration zones, discharge rates, etc. Due to a limited number of available piezometric measurements, a methodology was developed to calibrate the model based on the available vegetation survey in combination with Ellenberg values. This approach led to a fairly well calibrated model that was used for calculating 2 scenarios; the actual situation and a wetting scenario. The output of the model was used by the other partners to predict possible future vegetation types. The results of this study are bundled in a final report, along with the reports of the other partners, in order to provide a basis for future policies on nature development in the area.

J . Co r lu y, B . Ve rb ei r en , O . Bat e l aan a nd F. D e Sm edt

Development of a hydrological model for the Hornad, a subwatershed of the Tisza River

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The current study is part of the PhD thesis titled Assessing impacts of landuse changes on flood using hydrological modelling and is also a part of the Tisza project. Hornad located in Slovakia, is one of the main tributaries of the Tisza River. The basin up to the Zdana station has an area of 4255 km2. The primary aim of the study is to apply and develop a hydrological model for this basin, based on the spatially distributed WetSpa model. The study started by preparing data required by the model, i.e. DEM, soil types and landuse maps and precipitation and evapotranspiration series. The spatial resolution of the maps is 50 by 50 m and the time series cover 10 years of daily hydrometeorological data that are applied to the model for simulating the daily hydrograph at the oulets of the main subcatchments of the watershed. The next phase of the study will be to calibrate the model for the area. The Tisza river project is an EC-5th framework international project. The Tisza River -

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with a basin size of 157200 km2 - is the largest tributary of the Danube and runs through Romania, Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary and Yugoslavia.

A .B ah r ema nd , J . Co rl uy , Y .B .L iu a nd F. De Sm edt

Development of a hydrological model in the framework of an ecosystem approach for the Abeek valley in Flanders
As a result of the Mina-plan II (Milieu Natuurplan Vlaanderen) - action 105, several ecosystem approach studies have been started in different catchments, one of which is the Abeek project. This project started in the beginning of 2001 and ended in October 2003 and covers the valley of the Abeek (tributary of the Meuse), located in the province of Limburg. The UIA (University of Antwerp) is the promoter of this project. The VUBs aim in this project is to indicate, by studying the groundwater system, the maximal potential for the development and maintenance of nature conservation, considering different scenarios of nature and water resources management. By means of a detailed groundwater model, essential information is gained on both a regional and local scale. Regionally, the recharge and discharge zones and their relation in time and scale are simulated using groundwater flow and particle tracking models. Locally, the steady state model is used to characterize the groundwater system and to determine groundwater levels for the present situation. Additionally, transect studies are used to give a qualitative description of desiccation and nutrient load effects on the ecosystem. Existing and newly installed piezometers are used to calibrate the groundwater model and to obtain water quality estimates. The UIA analyses soil and vegetation composition along these transects and the VUB models the groundwater levels along these transects. The modelling showed that, for the present situation, an important part of t h e s t u d y a r e a ( a p p r o x . 4 0 %) i s i n f l u e n c e d b y g r o u n d w a t e r a n d h a v e groundwater levels shallower then 0.5m. Approximately 30% of the study area is discharge area. The effect of changed hydrological conditions in a wetter scenario (no wells and shallower drainage depth for some rivers), is considered using the groundwater model. In this scenario the groundwater levels are on the average 0.3 m higher (max. 1.30 m), the d i s c h a r g e a r e a s i n c r e a s e b y 1 7 %, w i t h h i g h e r i n t e n s i t i e s ( u p t o t w o t i m e s ) a n d l o n g e r f l o w t i m e s ( u p t o 6 0 %) . These relevant ecosystem parameters resulting from the modelling of the groundwater dynamics under these respective scenarios are then evaluated in order to describe the possible future vegetation types. The knowledge, which is acquired during this research, will provide in part the basis for the future policy of nature development in this area.

B. Verb eiren, A. Van Camp enho ut, O . Bat e l aan a nd F. D e Sm edt

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- 46 -

Development of a hydrological model in the framework of an ecosystem approach for the Visbeek/Kindernouwbeek valley in Flanders
As a result of the Mina-plan II (Milieu Natuurplan Vlaanderen) - action 105, several ecosystem approach studies have been started in different catchments; one of which is the Visbeek/Kindernouwbeek project. This project started in September 2002 and finishes at the end of March 2004. The project covers the valley of the Visbeek, Kindernouwbeek, Diepteloop and Bosbeek (tributary of the Nete), located in the province of Antwerp. Kiwa Research and Consultancy (Nieuwegein, The Netherlands) is the main partner in this project, with participation from the UIA (University of Antwerp) who are responsible for the vegetation mapping of the area. For the VUB, the aim of this project is to study the groundwater system in this valley such that an indication can be given of the maximal potential for the development and maintenance of nature conservation, considering different scenarios of nature and water resources management. Firstly, a detailed groundwater model is used to gain essential information on a regional and local scale. On a local scale the groundwater levels and the location of the infiltration and discharge zones were calculated. Additionally, a transient model will be developed to gain insight in groundwater dynamics in time, on a two-weekly basis, in order to obtain maximum/minimum groundwater levels. On a regional scale, the infiltration and discharge zones and their relation in time and scale will be simulated using the groundwater and particle-tracking model. Secondly, a hydro c h e m i c a l m o d e l w i l l b e d e v e l o p e d t o d e s c r i b e t h e n u t r i e n t l o a d ( i n p a r t i c u l ar the nitrogen) in the study area and the transport of these nutrients, via groundwater, from agricultural fields to the river valley. The knowledge, which is acquired during this research, will provide the basis for the future policy of nature development in this area.

B . V e rb ei r en , O . B at e laan and F. De Sm edt

Development of a WetSpa Extension, a GIS-based modelling approach for flood prediction and scenario simulation on catchment scale
A GIS-based distributed parameter model, WetSpa (Water and Energy Transfer between Soil, Plant and Atmosphere) Extension, has been developed to simulate the hydrologic response on catchment scale. The model conceptualizes a basin hydrological system being composed of atmosphere, canopy, root zone, transmission zone, and saturation zone layers. The watershed is discretized into a number of grid cells, for which

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the water and energy balance are maintained. The hydrological processes represented in the model include: precipitation, interception, depression, surface runoff, infiltration, evapotranspiration, percolation, interflow, overland and channel flow, and groundwater flow. The water budget computations for interception storage, depression storage and soil moisture storage are carried out for each cell, while the water balance for groundwater storage is computed on small subcatchment scale. Surface runoff is generated in relation to rainfall intensity and soil moisture content and is routed along the flow paths by using the diffusive wave approximation, while interflow and percolation are controlled by soil characteristics and modeled by Darcys law and kinematic approximation. Algorithms derived as much as possible from physical processes, together with more conceptual or empirical algorithms have been selected. The model combines elevation, soil and land use data within a GIS framework, and predicts flood hydrographs, which can be defined for any numbers and locations in the channel network, and can simulate the spatial distribution of catchment hydrological characteristics. The model has been applied to the Barebeek, Ijse and Veurne-Ambacht catchment in Belgium, and the Alzette river basin in the Grand-duchy of Luxembourg. Currently, the model is used in the Tisza river project for serving water resources management and flow governing problems. Encouraging results have been achieved.

Y . L iu , F. D e S med t

Ecohydrological system research for the Border Meuse valley: locations Vijverbroek and Maaswinkel
The Living Border Meuse project aims to restore the natural river processes at both sides of the river (Belgium, Flanders and The Netherlands) by means of river rehabilitation interventions and management measures. These different measures will be carried out in 12 different locations along a river stretch of around 30 km. After several preliminary studies on the impacts of the planned restoration works, it is of undue importance to make detailed studies of each of the project locations where measures are going to be implemented. This project focused on two such locations, namely Vijverbroek and Maaswinkel. It concerned the combination of a hydrological study and an ecological study, which together resulted in an ecohydrological system research, based on which the management measures of the project Living Border Meuse can be refined. The project has been jointly executed with the Department of Biology of the University of Antwerp (January 2002 - September 2003). The location Vijverbroek, with its beautiful Alder brook forest, forms a nature reserve of about 1.5 km in the upper north-east of the province of

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Limburg, near the city of Maaseik. The project aimed to study the ecohydrological situation in the area and to investigate the effects of the restoration of the nearby gravel pits. For this, a detailed transient groundwater model was developed with MODFLOW. Herewith the groundwater heads were calculated and the discharge zones and intensities were determined for different scenarios. The corresponding recharge zones were subsequently delineated with MODPATH. The groundwater quality in the study area has been investigated by means of lab analysis of groundwater samples taken at each piezometer location (45 in total), and also soil probes were sampled to investigate the soil texture. During the months May to September 2002, the vegetation in the area has been mapped. The mapped vegetation data were coupled to field groundwater quality and soil data and the results of the groundwater modelling. From this, it was derived which abiotic factors are determining for vegetation development in the area. The location Maaswinkel (280 ha) is situated more upstream the Meuse River, near the city of Maasmechelen. Here, the research was focused on the eight pools in the area, being former clay pits that have been abandoned and which now form an important habitat for amphibians. The water level fluctuations and the steep pool banks lead to a high gradient and biodiversity in vegetation types on the banks. Measurements indicate that the water level in the pools can fluctuate over several meters, depending on the water level in the Meuse River (situated 500 m to the east). The goal was to study the relationship between the river water level and pool water level and to investigate the effects of the planned reconnection of a former side channel to the river. Tide-gauges were placed in five pools and read weekly, and in one pool also a diver was installed. Recorded data from these, together with time series of the water level of the Meuse River and of head data of a diver in the area were used to develop a simplified groundwater model of the area with MODFLOW. The model shows that the river influence will become even more pronounced when the river side channel would be reconnected, which is to be expected as the river-to-pool distance will decrease in that case. During the months May to September 2002, the vegetation on the pool banks has been mapped, and it was investigated which abiotic factors are determining for vegetation development on the pool banks.

J . Se v e ryn s , O . B at el a an a n d F . D e Sm edt

Flemish Groundwater Estimation

Model

Recharge

For the Environment, Nature and Land Development Administration (AMINAL) of the Flemish Community the department developed the concepts of a Flemish Groundwater Model (in Dutch VGM) (Meyus et al., 2000a). The

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purpose of the development of the VGM is to have an adequate technical instrument with which groundwater systems all over Flanders uniformly can be described. Besides the definition of the concepts, the department was also strongly involved in the setup of the Hydrogeological Coding of the subsurface of Flanders (in Dutch HCOV) (Meyus et al., 2000b) and the study of the set up of a detailed hydrogeological database of the subsurface of Flanders (Cools et al., 2003). Presently, the department works on one of the next studies in preparation of the VGM. In this study the distributed groundwater recharge for the whole of Flanders will be determined. For this purpose the WetSpass model (Batelaan en De Smedt, 2001) is applied. WetSpass will simulate the recharge on basis of the hydrometeorology, spatially distributed land-use, soil type, slope and groundwater level. Simulations will be performed within a GIS grid environment with a spatial resolution of 50 by 50 m. A winter and summer scenario will be calculated.

Y. Me yu s , S. Wo ld e aml a k, O . B ate l a an , F. D e Smedt

Fuzzy GIS and Remote Sensing simulated hazard probability in Central Vietnam
In recent years, landslide hazards have occurred regularly in the center of Vietnam, especially in the rainfall season. The damages from landslides are very large and the estimated total loss is up to thousands billions Vietnam dong per year. This PhD intends to develop Fuzzy GIS and Remote Sensing simulated hazard probability for Central Vietna, The relevance of this research for the people living in this area is obvious. In the study, some previous models for landslide prediction such as SINMAP, SHALAB etc. will be applied. The results of these different methods will be compared. However, these models for landslide prediction are limited and often confusing. Therefore, in this research, an important aspect will be to develop a methodology for combining GIS, remote sensing and numerical simulation models, statistical algorithms and fuzzy logic in order to build a potential landslide map and to predict the uncertainty related to the landslide hazard. The recommendations to managers and people involved in the management of hazards, in the form of concrete conclusions, recommendation and map products is also foreseen. This PhD research (promotor F. De Smedt, advisor O. Batelaan) is sponsored by the Belgian Technical Cooperation and is executed part-time at the Research Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources, Hanoi, Vietnam (RIGMR) and at the HYDR department.

Ng uyen Th anh Lon g

Lineament analysis by remote sensing

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Vast areas of the world consist of hard rocks (basement complexes), where water is restricted to secondary permeability, and thus to the fractures and the weathered zones. Highly productive areas in hard-rock terrains are generally associated with conductive fracture zones. In this PhD study an effective method for defining the fracture zone is developed on basis of lineament indices, which can be extracted from satellite imagery. Together with a detailed structural analysis and understanding of the tectonic evolution of a given area, it provides a useful tool for hydrogeologists for studying groundwater in fractured rock and for developing water resources. The relationship between the identified fracture zone and the occurrence of groundwater is further improved by the results from pumping tests. The resulting lineament index density map can be correlated with the measured transmissivities in order to generate a groundwater transmissivity map. The result shows the distribution of shear, extensional fractures on the boundary of the fracture zone (NW-Vietnam). By understanding the orientation of the stress field that generated the structures in the study area, it is possible to evaluate which lineaments can be associated with mostly shear fractures or conjugated faults and which with extension fractures.

Hu ng L.Q . , B at el a an O. a nd D e Sm edt F .

Mathematical models assisting identification of good status of water bodies required by the EU Water Framework Directive
In 2003 a new Bilateral Scientific and Technological Cooperation project started with the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. Dr. Z. Simonffy of the Research Group for Water Management of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering is the promotor on the Hungarian side of the project. The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires the determination of the reference conditions of surface water bodies, which includes the hydrological characterization of the original (without human impacts) flow regime, i.e. the estimation of the average and the usually critical low discharge. During low flow periods the infiltration from groundwater provides the essential part of the available water for aquatic ecosystems in the riverbed. Evaluation of the good quantitative status of groundwater bodies is based on the estimation of available groundwater resources, which depends on the recharge and the amount of water needed to maintain the necessary baseflow for aquatic and/or evapotranspiration for terrestrial ecosystems. An adequate mathematical model of the problems should be based on water balance covering both the surface and the groundwater system. Models partially covering the above criteria have been established

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and are under continuous development in both departments. At the Vrije Universiteit Brussel this are the WetSpa and WetSpass model (Batelaan et al., 1996; Wang et al., 1997; De Smedt et al., 2000; Batelaan and De Smedt, 2001), while the Budapest University developed an hourly precipitation-runoff model (Szab et al, 2001), and a regional scale water balance model (Simonffy, 2000). These models seem, besides their differences, to have a lot in common. Therefore, purpose of the project is a discussion of the used methodologies, analyses of results, comparative testing, followed by further common development towards fulfilling societal request with respect to the WFD. Dr. Simonffy and Ir. A. Kovcs visited the VUB from 31 March till 6 April. In this first workshop, with 9 participants, presentations were given and recent developments in modeling at both departments and requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive were analysed. J. Severyns, B. Verbeiren and O. Batelaan visited Hungary from 21 till 27 August. A seminar was organized as well as a fieldtrip to the pilot area, the Zala catchment. Further discussions were held during Dr. Simonffys visit to Brussels from 2227 October.

O . B at e l aan , J . S e v er yn s, B . Ve rb e i ren , F . D e S m edt

Modelling the Fate and Transport of Organic Micropolluntants and Phosphates in Rivers and Gulfs (Estuaries) in the Lake Victoria Watershed: The Case Study of Simiyu River and its Estuary Mwanza Region, Tanzania
The water quality of Lake Victoria has been declining due to point and nonpoint sources from domestic, industrial and agricultural activities. Pollution from agricultural activities is mainly from fertilizers and pesticides. These contaminants are carried away from agricultural fields mainly by surface runoff or sediments. The study is investigating the effects of sorption and binding on movement of pesticides and phosphates in surface water in the Simiyu river (Tanzania) and its estuary. Field measurements campaign inclusive ground truthing for satellite images were established in the Simiyu catchment and its estuary. Four successive field measurements have been carried out in the Simiyu catchment and its estuary (Speke gulf). Water and sediment samples were collected from twelve stations in the Simiyu catchment and eight stations in the estuary. Thereafter carried to various laboratories for analysis. Sampling exercise was done together with discharge and current measurements.

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Laboratory results for water quality parameters specifically total suspended sediment (TSS), pesticides, phosphorus and organic carbon indicate higher total concentrations for samples corrected during high flows than samples corrected during low flows. These data together with data for the next measurements will be used in model calibration and validation. This PhD. study is financed by Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project, a World Bank Funded Project, which started in 1997 and aims at protecting and conserving the Lake Victoria ecosystem by monitoring and controlling pollution levels in the lake.

J . Rwet abu l a, F . D e Sm edt , M. R ebhu n ( Isr a e l) , F . Mw anu zi (T an zan ia) .

PHYLARES Alumnus operation Prize

wins

Development

Co-

Each year The Development Co-operation Prizes are awarded to students and young scientists, based on a scientific work of high relevance for development co-operation. Mrs. Vanessa Heyvaert, PHYLARES alumnus, graduated in September 2002, was one of the Belgian students who received this prize in 2003. The prize consists of an award of 1.250 Euro and was handed over at an official ceremony by the Secretary of State for Development Cooperation. The thesis of Mrs. Vanessa Heyvaert was titled: Modelling of soil erosion with GIS: comparison of different models; case study: Chachoengcao Province, Thailand, promotor was Prof. M. Van Molle.

C o n g rat u l at io n s t o M r s. V a n e s sa H ey v a er t !
For more information on http://www.devcoprize.africamuseum.be this prize see:

Recharge modelling - WetSpass

The purpose of this PhD research is to extend the present (WetSpass) and develop new recharge simulation procedures. In a first step the WetSpass model for recharge simulation (Batelaan and De Smedt, 2001) and its interface (Kassa, 2001) was further modified. The interface has been built in ArcView and includes numerous dialogs and menu options together with the WetSpass model code, it also couples WetSpass with MODFLOW. The purpose of the interface is to facilitate interchange of recharge and groundwater head files between the two models, for a better characterization of the groundwater system of an area. In the latest modification, two separate extension files were created to allow users to run the model either on a seasonal (summer and winter) or yearly basis.

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Furthermore, attempts are made to expand the model for the estimation of recharge at a smaller time scale. A user's guide has been developed, which includes a short background history of the model, theoretical basis of the WetSpass model, aspects of the MODFLOW model that are related to WetSpass, description of the interface with all the dialogs and menu options, and a tutorial.

S o lom o n T . W o l d e am la k , O . B at el a an, F . D e Sm edt

The Tisza River Project

Real-life scale integrated catchment models for supporting water- and environmental management decisions. The Tisza River Project is an EC-5th Framework Project, it started in 2002 and will run until the end of 2004. This international project was designed for the protection and revitalization of the unique riparian wetland ecosystems of the Tisza River basin. Other problems in the Tisza River basin include water pollution, both by point and non-point sources (e.g. the Baia Mare disaster with cyanide spill in 2000), severe water shortages, devastating floods and excess water inundations occurring in the same year, and in many cases even at the same site. The Tisza River basin is situated in the geographic centre of Europe and comprises parts of Romania, Hungary, Ukraine, Slovakia and Serbia. The scientific objective of the project is to develop a real-life-scale integrated catchment model system. This means the development of a practical application oriented set of tools, i.e. simulation models for water flow, water quality and ecosystem functioning that are exactly tailored to the issues to be solved and the availability of data. The project work is carried out by 11 partners from 6 countries, among which 7 partners from three Tisza River basin countries: Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. VUB is partner in lead of Work Package 5, which consists of the development of a hydrologic/hydraulic model. This model will help solve water resources management and flow-governing problems. Therefore VUB will develop a hydrological model, based on the spatially distributed hydrological model WetSpa, for the entire Tisza river basin which covers an area of 157 200 km2. The detailed basin characteristics, which serve as input parameters to the model, will be derived from a digital elevation model (DEM), digital land use and soil maps by means of GIS. The excess runoff for every grid cell will be routed to the basin outlet along the topographically derived flow paths using a diffusive wave response function. The runoff velocity will be computed with the Manning equation. Finally, the total discharge will be calculated by convolution of the flow response from all grid cells. Hydrological model output will be fed into hydraulic and flow-allocation models, which will be used in the water quality and ecological simulation models.

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Currently the hydrological models for 3 pilot subwatersheds in different countries are being developed. Furthermore a snow model is being incorporated to the WetSpa model, which accounts for the effects of snowfall and snow melt on runoff. VUB will also cooperate in work package 6 in the development of a nonpoint source runoff-load catchment model, which will be linked to the general hydrological model of the catchment. This model will provide the input to the river and lake water quality models. Finally, at the end of the project, VUB will contribute in the dissemination of the projects results scheduled in work package 9, as to provide all kinds of different end-users with means to help saving water resources and ecological values with the help of integrated catchment management tools and to secure the sustainable use of the resources of the Tisza River Basin. For more information about the Tisza river project see: http://www.tiszariver.com/

J . Co r lu y, A . B ah rem and , Y . L iu and F . De Sm edt

Tools for integrated water management of the Woluwe catchment: hydrogeological model and ecological indicators for sustainable management of the river-pond system (Blue plan)
This project is supported by the Ministry of Brussels Capital Region and is collaboration with the Laboratory of General Botany and Nature Management (VUB). The project was executed by Dr. E. Rimaviciute from October 2002 till August 2003. One of the main objectives of the modern land planning is to ensure that numerous environmental aspects of the land management are fully considered and forehand taken into account. Hydrological cycle and groundwater in particular are among those potentially adversely affected. Therefore the objective of this study is to assess the ecohydrological relations in the highly anthropogenic Woluwe Catchment (Brussels Region) by the means of analysing the hydrological status of the area, first of all extend and magnitude of groundwater recharge and discharge (wetlands and ponds), thus identifying the most sensitive areas from the ecological point of view. WetSpass results indicate simulated yearly groundwater recharge in the Woluwe catchment to be within 0 to 347 mm/year range, with an average of 226 mm/year. Significantly higher recharge (over 250 mm/year) is observed in the areas covered by the vegetation, mainly in the south. While the lowest groundwater recharge (less than 100 mm/year) coincide with the sites where the water bodies are located in the catchment. MODFLOW

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results show that the most important zone from ecological point of view is where groundwater is less than 2 m below the surface. It constitutes 5.2 % of the catchment and occupies a relatively narrow 60-360 m stretch along the Woluwe River and its major tributaries. Most of the simulated discharge areas also appear as narrow bands along the river courses and in many cases include areas with ponds. The total discharge area constitutes 1.35 km2 or 1.5 % of the total catchment size with an average discharge of 43 mm/day. MODPATH results show groundwater flow times ranging from 17 days to 423 years with an average of 32 years. Following infiltration, water from as much as 50 per cent of the catchment area reaches its discharge region and leaves the groundwater system in less than 16 years. For 75 % of the catchment this number is approximately 45 years, and for 90 % around 87 years. The discharge areas predicted with MODFLOW compare favourably with the results obtained from the vegetation mapping. Within the for the phreatophytes studied zone in total 54 sites or 69% of the mapped locations lie within discharge areas as calculated by the model. Most of the remaining discrepancies are most probably due to scale limitations of the simulations and uncertainty in the phreatophyte mapping.

E . R im a vi c iu t e, F . D e Sme d t , O . B at e la a n

Tracer Analysis and Vulnerability Mapping of Tropical Karst Systems in NW Vietnam

The study areas in NW Vietnam within the VLIR projects VIBEKAP and LLINC are all very vulnerable with respect to the water quality. The strong karstification of these areas is the main cause of this vulnerability. In many towns, the resurgences are the main sources for drinking water supply; mostly it is used unfiltered. However, due to the karstification the vulnerability is also highly spatial heterogeneous and difficult to assess. The purposes of this PhD research are therefore to set-up and test a methodology for vulnerability mapping of these karst systems. Artificial and environmental tracer tests and analysis will play in the verification of the vulnerability a crucial role. In the first phase different artificial tracer tests and hydrogeological mappings are performed. Also, necessary geographical data is collected for later use in vulnerability mapping. Special attention is given to the vulnerable catchment of the water supply of Son La Town, the Tam Ta Tong resurgence, as well as to the area of Lung Van (Hoa Binh province), which faces strong development in the coming years. In the second phase, the use of stable isotope research (Oxygen-18) is explored for environmental tracing. Several water sample stations were installed in the rainy season of 2002. Hydrological, hydrogeochemical data are collected in combination

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with environmental tracer data for interpretation of the evolution of groundwater and mixing components in karst aquifers. The PhD research (promotor F. De Smedt, advisor O. Batelaan) is sponsored by the Belgian Technical Cooperation and is executed part-time at the Research Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources, Hanoi, Vietnam (RIGMR) and at the HYDR department.

Vu Th i Minh Ng uyet

Two hyperspectral remote sensing projects in the Doode Bemde wetland

In both 2002 and 2003 the Federal Office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural Affairs (DWTC) financed a project on hyperspectral remote sensing. The CASI-SWIR-ATM projects are coordinated by VITO and are in preparation of the hyperspectral APEX satellite sensor, which is currently under development. The Department of Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) organized a combined field and airborne flight campaign for the hyperspectral remote sensing of moisture gradients (September 2002) and water and energy fluxes (June 2003) in the nature reserve Doode Bemde, located in the valley of the Dijle River. A first objective is to test an appropriate hyperspectral analysis method, using the CASI-SWIR data, for the known (based upon field and simulation data) moisture gradients. A statistical comparison of the interpolated soil moisture for the selected grassland with each individual band of the hyperspectral CASI-SWIR dataset shows the highest correlation (-0.6871) for band 24 (0.5690 m) and the surrounding bands. Another peak is found at band 48 (0.7060 m). The spectral bands 90 to 93 show the lowest correlation values (around -0.24). The correlation curve for the groundwater depth shows a similar pattern, but with lower correlation values (maximum around 0.45), except for the bands 55 to 75. The second aim is to develop a methodology for mapping of shallow groundwater conditions based on hyperspectral identification and classification of phreatophytes. In order to classify phreatophytes from the CASI-SWIR image, 18 plant species are defined. The spectral angle method (SAM) classifier is used to map the phreatophytes in the study area. All the plant species are characterized by their spectral curve, which is determined on basis of pure pixels for each species. When the classification results were compared with the available species atlas for the area and additional field observation, it showed good agreement. For campaign of 2003 thermal airborne data was also obtained and will be used for evapotranspiration calculation.

Hu ng L.Q . , Verbeiren, B., Bate l aa n O . a n d D e Sm edt F .

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VLIR supported karst project VIBEKAP ends, LLINC and Trans-KARST2004 continue
In the last five year you were regularly informed about the activities of the VLIR sponsored project Rural development in the mountain karst area of NW Vietnam by sustainable water and land management and social learning: its conditions and facilitation. This project was much better known under its abbreviation VIBEKAP and was a multidisciplinary cooperation of the Research Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources (RIGMR), Pedagogy, Geology, Geography and Agriculture Departments from the K.U.Leuven, Belgium Geological Survey (BGD) and the Department of Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering (VUB). VIBEKAP ended in September 2003 after five very intensive and successful years of research, training and practical implementation of research results in the karstic area of Son La, Vietnam. Co-promotor J. Masschelein (K.U.Leuven) and M. Dusar (BGD) attended in September the final meetings at RIGMR, Hanoi. Scientifically a highlight of the project was the completion of the PhD of Mr. Thanh Tam Vu on Characterization of a Karstic system by an integrative and multiapproach system. A case study of Suoi Muoi and Nam La catchments in Northwest Vietnam (see for an abstract the section Doctoral theses). Dr. Tam has been for the hydrological part of the project of enormous importance, he has setup the measurements in the Nam La and Suoi Muoi karst basins and worked these out in five scientific papers. His results increase the understanding of these karst systems and help in defining solutions for mitigating the flooding and drought problems in the area. Another major result of the project is the training, which was given to staff members of RIGMR. The department, by way of IUPWARE and PHYLARES, played an active role by training more than 15 RIGMR staff members for an MSc degree, all of them were supported by VLIR or VUBAROS scholarships. Currently three RIGMR staff members are working on their PhD in the department. Although VIBEKAP ended, the cooperation with Vietnam continues by way of the LLINC project Improving multi-stakeholder collaboration for conservation of the Pu Luong - Cuc Phuong limestone landscape, NW Vietnam (LLINC). Partners for this project are Institute of Ethnology, Hanoi (IE), RIGMR, the Pedagogy, Psychology, Geography Departments from the K.U.Leuven, Centre for sustainable development of the University of Ghent, BGD and the Department of Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering (VUB). The LLINC project, locally coordinated by Olivier Tessier, is now in its second year and the research to enable the support for the development of a landscape plan and the management quality of the entire Pu Luong - Cuc Phuong protected area network, based on an improved knowledge base of the limestone landscape and its interactions with all involved stakeholder

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groups, is now fully developed. RIGMR published for the project a report on the geological characteristics of the Pu Luong area. In 2004 the above mentioned Belgian and Vietnamese partners will organize with support of the VLIR from 13 till 18 September in Hanoi, the TransKARST2004 conference. Trans-KARST2004 will offer a forum to discuss basic and applied research findings and methodologies, which can contribute to the management and development of karst areas. It aims to strengthen interest in the preservation of geodiversity, biodiversity and cultural diversity through promotion of sustainable relationships between them and to explore ways to integrate natural and social sciences approaches in the management of karst systems. The Conference will be organized around the themes: Policy and management of land and water resources, Development of infrastructure and assessment of environmental risks and hazards, Conservation of eco-systems, Integration of natural and social science approaches. Conference website: http://www.vub.ac.be/trans-karst2004. Note that it is still possible to submit abstracts! Also there are a few scholarships for travel available, see 2nd announcement on website.

O . B at e la an , V u Th anh T am , Vu Thi M i nh Ngu ye t, L e Qu oc H ung , Ng uyen Th anh Lon g and F. De Smedt

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6. EUROPEAN PROGRAMMES
6.1 SOCRATES / ERASMUS for higher education
* The Institutional Contract
Student and staff mobility is governed by the Institutional Contract-scheme of the SOCRATES / ERASMUS Programme, which the European Commission signs with each university. The International Relations office of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has its web-site at: http://www.vub.ac.be/english/intstuex.html

where details and forms for applications can be found. * STUDENT MOBILITY The following ERASMUS-students studied with IUPWARE in the academic year 2002-2003: * from Warsaw University of Technology (PL) Mierzwicki, Krysztof Pradzynska, Dominika * from Universitt fr Bodenkultur Wien (A) Wlfe, Guido * INTENSIVE PROGRAMME The SOCRATES Intensive Programme entitled HYDRO-EUROPE is aiming to introduce collaborative learning through virtual laboratories. Partners are UNSA (co-ordinator), NICE (FR); VUB, Brussels (BE); EPFL, Lausanne (CH); BTU, Cottbus (DE) and IHE, Delft (NL).

http://www.hydro-web.org/2003/HydroEurope/
The following VUB-students participated in this virtual laboratory and attended the face-to-face final workshop with field excursions on 24 February 8 March 2003 in Nice (FR) at the University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis (UNSA): -Mugur DUMITTRACHE -Barbara VAN HOOREWEDER -Koen VANDERPUTTEN -Filip VERHOYE

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They were monitored by Profs. W. Bauwens, J. J. Peters and A. Van der Beken. See the Daily Reports of the Face-to-face meeting and the Fun presentation about the Nice time on the website of Hydro-Europe.

6.2 ETNET.ENVIRONMENT-WATER
European Thematic Network of Education and Training (supported by the SOCRATES Programme of the European Commission)

ETNET 21 (2000-2003)

http://etnet.vub.ac.be

The relation between education and research within a perspective of lifelong learning
ETNET 21 focuses on the relation between: the learning processes, methods and tools research and technological development (RTD) in the broad multi-disciplinary domain of environment-water as producers of new know-ledge and skills to enhance the transfer of this new knowledge and skills into the higher education systems, including continuing education and training and professional development systems in a perspective of life long learning. ETNET21 was co-ordinated till 30 September 2003 by Prof. A. Van der Beken who organized the 3rd Plenary Assembly in Thessaloniki, 28 August 2003, in conjunction with the 30th Congress of the International Association of Hydraulic Engineering and Research (IAHR) with a general theme WATER ENGINEERING AND RESEARCH IN A LEARNING SOCIETY: Modern Developments and Traditional Concepts and its specific theme E Education, Research and Profession. The final reports of ETNET21 as well as A REVIEW OF RECENT PAPERS ON WATER-RELATED EDUCATION AND TRAINING were presented in the sessions of theme E of the Congress. See page 67. ETNET21 continues as a DISSEMINATION PROJECT 2003-2004 under the co-ordination of Prof. Peter HOLZ of the Brandenburg Technical University (BTU) at Cottbus (DE). Dissemination in ONE Virtual Teaching and Training Community

http://etnet21.bauinf.tu-cottbus.de/

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The general aim of the Dissemination Project is to make achievements and essential results of the European Thematic Network of Education and Training in Environment-Water (ETNET21) visible and accessible through a number of regional centres within EU and Accession Countries. These centres will operate on a Web-based VIRTUAL LABORATORY platform using the results on everyday basis.

6.3 LATEST NEWS / KeyWATER

Under editorship of Professor P. Holz

LATEST NEWS
on-line, near weekly NEWSLETTER
sent automatically to all subscribers

OBJECTIVE
JUST ENOUGH - JUST IN TIME
information screened for

WATER PEOPLE
upstream of the dynamic website KeyWATER:

http://keywater.bauinf.tu-cottbus.de/
KeyWATER is the information portal for WATER people: a KEY to water-environment related activities in the domain of education, training, transfer of knowledge, skills and competencies, mobility of students and staff, job-vacancies, research and technological development (RTD), demonstration and innovation. KeyWATER is updated weekly by archiving the Emailing LATEST NEWS. KeyWATER/LATEST NEWS are partially sponsored through EC-funded projects. There are currently over 900 articles in the KeyWATER archive, called "chessboard" of 4 themes and 4 tools, retrievable by title, date of event or deadline, country and keyword; there is also a SEARCH engine. 80% of this information is "free for all", the remaining is restricted to subscribers of KeyWATER and its weekly Emailing LATEST NEWS.

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IUPWARE is a member of

Forum of European Freshwater Organizations

Mission To be a network for European freshwater research so as to provide relevant knowledge to European Union, Governments, river commissions, water management authorities and water industry, contributing to sustainable management of European freshwater, the global competitiveness of Europes water sector and a better quality of life. Objectives * Promotion of transfer of knowledge on freshwater research management between science and policy, at national, river basin and European Union level, contributing to the protection and sustainable use of European freshwater resources and a better quality of life. * Encouraging collaboration between researchers and between research institutes, to identify and promote areas of supranational, freshwater-related research of supranational to institutions involved, e.g. the European Commission, leading to increased costeffectiveness of European water research. * Sharing experiences on the management of non-profit making freshwater research institutes. * Making relevant expert advice readily available for application within the European Union. * Increasing the competitiveness of the European water sector on global scale. Other members are: BAW - Austrian Federal Agency for Water Management BFG - German Federal Institute of Hydrology CEDEX - Spanish Center for Public Works Research and CEH - Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford, UK CEMAGREF - French Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering Research DHI - Danish Water and Environment EAWAG - Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology EPA - Environmental Protection Agency of Ireland FEI - Finnish Environment Institute IRSA - Italian Water Research Institute IVL - Swedish Environmental Research Institute LNEC - Laboratrio Nacional de Engenharia Civil of Portugal NIVA - Norwegian Institute for Water Research NTUA - National Technical University of Athens, Greece RIZA - Institute for Inland Water Management and Waste Water Treatment, The Netherlands Observer members: Czech Republic, T. G. Masaryk Water Research Institute Estonia, Technical University of Tallinn, TTU Hungary, Water Resources Research Centre, VITUKI Poland, Institute of Water Engineering and Water Management, Cracow University of Technology

Studies

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Slovak Republic, Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute, SHMU

http://www.euraqua.org

7. PEOPLE, SEMINARS AND VISITORS

SEMINARS by visitors were given on:
8 April 2003 Dr. Fekadu Moreda Experiences on distributed hydrologic Office of Hydrologic modelling: requirements (data and Develoment, Silver computation), calibration and validation Springs, USA 9 April 2003 Dr. Y. Gyasi-Agyei Technology-based cost effective irrigation Central Queensland system on elevated steep slopes. Optimum use University, Australia of erosion Control blankets and waste ballast (rock) mulch to aid grass establishment on steep slopes.

Visitors to the Department:

D e c em b er 2 00 3 P r of . W a lt er G r a f o f the L a b or at or y o f E n v i r o nm e n ta l H y dra u l i c s , E c o l e P o l it e ch n i q ue d e Lau s a n ne , Sw i tz e r l an d , w a s g u e s t l e ct ure r for t h e cour se En g in eer in g H ydr au lics. Pr of . Gr af is a u t hor o f se ve ra l w e ll kn ow n bo o ks on f lu via l h ydr au lics.

Prof. Charles Melching, new Associate Editor of JHR

Prof. Charles Melching is Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. His primary area of interest is stochastic hydraulics, particularly the application of uncertainty and reliability analysis in

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hydrologic and water-quality modelling. He has been a Visiting Lecturer in the IUPWARE programme, opportunities for 6 weeks at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (1996), 6 months at the VUB (199899), and one month at the Poznan University of Technology (2002). He also assisted the Water Resources Program of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in the completion of the project Comprehensive Assessment of Risks from Natural Hazards. Prof. Melching became an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Sediment Research beginning Fall 2002 and will review and edit papers on open channel hydraulics, urban drainage, rainfall-runoff modelling, and other topics as assigned.

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Obituary Prof. Jan Marin (1953 2003)

Prof. Jan Marin died on July 23, 2003 aged 50 after bravely fighting a disease he could not win. He studied at the VUB and obtained his PhD in 1982 with a treatise on The Design and Operation of Flood Reservoir System. Since 1975 he was assistant, first at the Department of Hydrology (Prof. A. Van der Beken), and later at the department of Statistics and Operational Research (Prof. L. Van de Wiele). In 1992 he became full-time professor at that department. From 1984 until 1990 he lectured in the InterUniversity Programme in Hydrology on Operational Research and System Approach to Water Management. He was supervisor of several MSc theses in hydrology and co-author of two books in the VUB-Hydrologie series: Beslissingscriteria in het Waterbeheer, M. Meersseman and J. Marin, 1979, VUB-Hydrologie 3, and Een compromis-methodologie ter voorbereiding van beleidsbeslissingen in het waterbeheer, J. Marin, K. De Vos, A. Fauconnier and H. Ramon, 1985, VUB-Hydrologie 10. In his later career his interest and research became more devoted to statistical and operational techniques in other fields. We will remember him as one of the pioneers of hydrologic research and Master of Science education in hydrology at the VUB.

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8. PUBLICATIONS and PRESENTATIONS

F or t h e f u l l l is t o f t he pu b li c a t i o n s o f t he D e p ar t m ent , s ur f t o:

http://tww6.vub.ac.be/hydr/default.htm
2002

PUBLICATIONS
BATELAAN, O. and KUNTOHADI, T. Development and application of groundwater model for the Upper Biebrza river basin Annals of Warsaw Agricultural University SGGW, Land Reclamation no. 33, P. 57-69 COOLS, J., BATELAAN, O. and DE SMEDT, F. How much groundwater can be used? Towards quantification of Sustainable groundwater management Proceedings of Symposium on Intensive Use of Groundwater, Valencia, Spain, 10-14 December 2002, 10pp. VAN DER BEKEN, A. Information and knowledge transfer as a process of continuing education and training In: Hydro-geological disasters reduction: developments and perspectives, ed. Dr. Andah, K., WARREDOC, GRIFO publishers, CNR publication 2508, Perugia, 2002

2003

PUBLICATIONS
AISH, A. and DE SMEDT, F. Hydrogeological Study of a Proposed Artificial Recharge of Groundwater, Gaza Strip Palestine Proceedings of The Second International Conference on Wadi Hydrology, 1-4 July 2003, Amman Jordan, WH 42: 10 pp.

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BATELAAN, O. and DE SMEDT, F. SEEPAGE, a new MODFLOW DRAIN Package Accepted for Ground Water BATELAAN, O., ASEFA, T., VAN ROSSUM, P. and DE SMEDT, F. Groundwater flow modeling of three wetland ecosystems in river valleys in Flanders, Belgium In: Verhoest, N.E.C., Hudson, J. and De Troch, F.P. (eds), Monitoring and Modeling Catchment Water Quantity and Quality, Proceedings of 8th Conference of the European Network of Experimental and Representative Basins (ERB), Ghent (Belgium), 27-29 September, 2000, UNESCO IHP-VI. Technical Documents in Hydrology, no. 66, 1-7 BATELAAN, O. DE SMEDT, F. and TRIEST, L. Regional groundwater discharge: phreatophyte mapping, groundwater modelling and impact analysis of land-use change Journal of Hydrology, 275/1-2: 86-108 BATELAAN, O., VERBEIREN, B. and HUNG L. Q. Doode Bemde CASI-SWIR 2002 campaign: hyperspectral sensing, field measurements and initial results of moisture gradients Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 5, 07326 BATELAAN, O., VERBEIREN, B., HUNG, L.Q. and DE SMEDT, F. Hyperspectrale teledetectie van vochtgradinten: de invloed van infiltratie- en kwelgebieden Eindrapport voor Contract SR/03.14, Programma STEREO, Luik 1: Opbouw van wetenschappelijke expertise, Actielijn 4: Het exploiteren van instrumenten aan boord van vliegtuigen CASI-SWIR campagne 2002. Federale diensten voor Wetenschappelijke, Technische en Culturele Aangelegenheden, 35pp + CD COOLS, J. Ook Vlaanderen evolueert naar integral waterbeleid (Towards integrated water management in Flanders) Juristenkrant nr. 75:15 CORLUY, J., VERBEIREN, B., BATELAAN, O. and DE SMEDT, F. Ecosysteemvisie zuidelijke bronnen en bovenloopgebieden van het Kempens Plateau deel 2: Hydrologische Systeemmodellering Onderzoeksopdracht MINA/105/99/02., Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemenschap, AMINAL, 122pp.

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CUNGE, J. A. and VAN DER BEKEN, A. A review of recent papers on water-related education and training Some critical and provocative thoughts for discussion ETNET ENVIRONMENT-WATER (ETNET21), 30th congress of IAHR, Thessaloniki, Greece, 24-29 August 2003, 172p. DE SMEDT, F. and BATELAAN, O. Investigation of the human impact on regional groundwater systems E. Tiezzi, C. A. Brebbia and J. L. Uso (Eds), Ecosystems and Sustainable Development, Advances in Ecological Sciences 19, WITpress: 1145-1153 DE SMEDT, F., LIU, Y., GEBREMESKEL, S., HOFFMANN, L. and PFISTER, L. Application of GIS and remote sensing in flood modeling for complex terrain International Conference of GIS and Remote Sensing in Hydrology, Water Resources and Environment (ICGRHWE), September 16-19, 2003, Three Gorges Dam, China: 12 pp. EL IDRYSY E. H. and DE SMEDT, F. A groundwater model of the Trifa aquifer in Morocco MODFLOW and More 2003: Understanding through Modeling. Conference Proceedings, Poeter, Zheng, Hill & Doherty (eds.), International Ground Water Modeling Centre, Colorado School of Mines: 173-177 FEYEN. L., GOMEZ-HERNANDEZ, J.J., RIBEIRO, P.J., BEVEN, K.J. and DE SMEDT, F. A Bayesian approach to stochastic capture zone delineation incorporating tracer arrival times, conductivity measurements and hydraulic head observations Water Resources Research 39(5): 10.1-10.13 FEYEN, L., RIBEIRO, P.J., DE SMEDT, F. and DIGGLE, P.J. Bayesian methodology to stochastic capture zone determination: conditioning on transmissivity measurements Water Resources Research, 38(9): 3.1-3.10 FEYEN, L., RIBEIRO, P.J., GOMEZ-HERNANDEZ, J.J., BEVEN, K.J. and DE SMEDT, F. Bayesian methodology for stochastic capture zone delineation incorporating transmissivity measurements and hydraulic head observations Journal of Hydrology, 271: 156-170 FEYEN, L., RIBEIRO, P. J., DE SMEDT, F. and DIGGLE, P.J.

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Stochastic delineation of capture zones: classical versus Bayesian approach Journal of Hydrology, 281: 313-324 FOURNEAU, J., SEVERYNS, J., BATELAAN, O., DE SMEDT, F. and MEIRE, P. Ecohydrologische systeemstudie Grensmaas: deelgebied Maaswinkel Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap, Administratie Milieu-, Natuur-, Land- en Waterbeheer, Afdeling Natuur, 74 pp. FOURNEAU, J., SEVERYNS, J., BATELAAN, O., DE SMEDT, F. and MEIRE, P. Ecohydrologische systeemstudie Grensmaas: deelgebied Vijverbroek Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap, Administratie Milieu-, Natuur-, Land- en Waterbeheer, Afdeling Natuur, 194 pp. HUNG, L. Q. and BATELAAN, O. Environmental geological remote sensing and GIS analysis of tropical karst areas in Vietnam Proceedings of the IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS), Toulouse, France, 21-25 July 2003, Volume IV, P. 2964-2966 HUNG, L. Q., BATELAAN, O. and SAN, D. N. Lineament analysis in fractured rocks, methodology and application to the Suoimuoi karst catchment Proceedings of the International Conference on Groundwater in Fractured Rocks, 15-19 September 2003, Prague, eds. Krsn, J., Hrkal, Z. and Bruthans, J.: 299-300 LIU, Y., DE SMEDT, F., HOFFMANN, L. and PFISTER, L. Parametrization using ArcView GIS in medium and large watershed modelling International Conference of GIS and Remote Sensing in Hydrology, Water Resources and Environment (ICGRHWE), September 16-19, 2003, Three Gorges Dam, China: 12 pp. LIU, Y., GEBREMESKEL, S., DE SMEDT, F., HOFFMANN, L. and PFISTER, L. A diffusive transport approach for flow routing in GIS-based flood modeling Journal of Hydrology, 283: 91-106 SEVERYNS, J., JOCHEMS, H., VAN LOOY, K. and DE SMEDT, F. Natuurinrichting en de abiotisch-biotische samenhang in riviersystemen de Grensmaas Water, 9,: 1-11 (in dutch) TAM, V.T., DE SMEDT, F., BATELAAN, O. and DASSARGUES, A.

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Interpretation and analysis of aquifer tests in fractured karstified carbonate limestone Proceedings of the International Conference on Groundwater in Fractured Rocks, 15-19 September 2003, Prague, eds Krsn, J., Hrkal, Z. and Bruthans, J.: 299-300 TAM, V.T., DE SMEDT, F., BATELAAN, O. and DASSARGUES, A. Relationship between lineaments and borehole yield in a fractured and karstified carbonate limestone area in Vietnam Accepted for Hydrogeology Journal

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TAM, V.T., DE SMEDT, F., BATELAAN, O. and DASSARGUES, A. Characterization of a cavernous conduit system by means of a time series correlation, cross-spectrum and wavelet analysis Submitted to Hydrological Sciences Journal TAM, V.T., DE SMEDT, F., BATELAAN, O. and HUNG, L.Q. Study of cavernous underground conduits in the Nam La catchment (Northwest Vietnam) by an integrative approach Submitted to Hydrogeology Journal VERBEIREN, B., VAN CAMPENHOUT, A., BATELAAN, O. and DE SMEDT, F. Ontwerp van ecosysteemvisie voor de vallei van de Abeek, Deel 2: Hydrologische modellering Onderzoeksopdracht MINA/105/00/03, Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap, Aminal, 103pp.

PRESENTATIONS
BATELAAN, O. Aquifers of the Scheldt basin Lecture in the International Student Course RIVER21, Antwerp, 20-2-2003 BATELAAN, O. Can ecology and hydrology be integrated? Budapest University of Technology and Economics, 22-8-2003 BATELAAN, O. A methodology for mapping regional groundwater discharge dependent ecosystems Workshop Bilateral project 00/03, Sustainable approaches to integrated management of aquatic resources in Southern Africa, Leuven 30-9-2003 CORLUY, J. Hydrological model development in the framework of the Tisza River Project Presentation at First Tisza River Project Workshop, Water Resources Research Centre VITUKI, Budapest, Hungary, 13-14 February 2003 CORLUY, J. Integrating vegetation mapping in groundwater modelling for ecohydrological predictions

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Presentation at WetHydro Workshop, Goniadz Biebrza National Park, Poland, 12-14 September 2003

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DE SMEDT, F. Investigation of the human impact on regional groundwater systems Int. conf. on Ecosystems and Sustainable Development, 4-6 June 2003, Siena, Italy LIU, Y. Parameterization using ArcView GIS in Medium and large watershed modeling International Conference of GIS and Remote Sensing in Hydrology, Water Resources and Environment, Sept. 16-19, 2003, Three Gorges Dam site, Yichang, China LIU, Y. Application of GIS and Remote Sensing in Flood Modeling for Complex Terrain International Conference of GIS and Remote Sensing in Hydrology, Water Resources and Environment, Sept. 16-19, 2003, Three Gorges Dam site, Yichang, China

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS IN THE SERIES "VUB-HYDROLOGY"

Nr. 3 Nr. 8 Nr. 9 Nr. 10 Nr. 11 Nr. 12 Nr. 13 Nr. 15 BESLISSINGSKRITERIA IN HET WATERBEHEER
door M. Meersseman en J. Marin, 138 pp. (1979) Prijs : 7.4 Euro

WATERKWALITEITSMODELLEN - WATER QUALITY MODELS

samengesteld door A. Van der Beken, 196 pp. (1981) Prijs : 7.4 Euro

DETERMINISTIC SURFACE WATER HYDROLOGY

by B.C. Yen, 64 pp. (1983) Prijs : 3.7 Euro

EEN COMPROMIS-METHODOLOGIE TER VOORBEREIDING VAN BELEIDSBESLISSINGEN IN HET WATERBEHEER

door J. Marin, K. De Vos, A. Fauconnier en H. Ramon, 133 pp. (1985) Prijs : 6.2 Euro

WATERBEHEER EN DISPERSIE IN HET ALBERTKANAAL EN DE KEMPENSE KANALEN

door W. Van Craenenbroeck, J. Marivoet, en P. Stas, 197 pp. (1985) Prijs : 9.9 Euro

EDUCATION IN HYDROLOGY
edited by A. Van der Beken, 63 pp. (1985) Prijs : 3.7 Euro

HYDROLOGISCHE MODELLEN VOOR DOOI AFVOER SIMULATIES

door W. Bauwens, 235 pp. (1987) Prijs : 12.4 Euro

INLEIDING TOT HET GEBRUIK VAN WATERKWALITEITSMODELLEN

door F. De Smedt, 118 pp. (1989) Prijs : 21.3 Euro Te bestellen bij VUBPRESS, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussel

Nr. 17 Nr. 18

HYDRAULIC MODELING

PRELIMINARIES

FOR

WATER

RESOURCES

by Vijay P. Singh, 288 pp. (1988) Price : 14.9 Euro

AN INTRODUCTION TO WATERSHED MANAGEMENT FOR HYDROLOGISTS

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by C.S. Melching and C.C. Avery, 140 pp. (1988) Price : 8.7 Euro

Nr. 19 Nr. 20 Nr. 21

TIME SERIES ANALYSIS APPLIED TO HYDROLOGY

by J. W. Delleur, 290 pp. (1991) Price : 16.1 Euro

METHODOLOGY FOR CONSTRUCTING MONTHLY BALANCE MODELS ON BASIN SCALE - second edition

WATER

by G. L. Vandewiele, Chong-Yu Xu and Ni-Lar-Win, 60 pp. (1993) Price : 6.2 Euro

ESTIMATION OF REGIONAL EVAPOTRANSPIRATION WITH A ONE-LAYER RESISTANCE MODEL USING REMOTE SENSING DATA
by Zhang LU, 217 pp. (1992) Price: 13.6 Euro

Nr. 22 Nr. 23 Nr. 24 Nr. 25

MONTHLY WATER BALANCE MODELS IN DIFFERENT CLIMATIC REGIONS

by Chong-Yu Xu, 222 pp. (1992) Price: 13.6 Euro

GENERALIZATION AND COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE NONGAUSSIAN MULTICOMPONENT MODEL FOR RIVER FLOW
by Zebene Eshete, 242 pp + appendices, (1992) Price: 14.9 Euro

SCALE ANALYSIS IN GROUNDWATER HYDROLOGY

by Wouter Zijl, 328 pp, (1993) Price: 17.4 Euro

GEOMORPHOLOGIC INVESTIGATIONS HYDROLOGIC RESPONSE MODELLING ELEVATION MODEL

by Yeboah Gyasi-Agyei, 228 pp, (1993) Price: 13.6 Euro

FOR CATCHMENT USING A DIGITAL

Nr. 26 Nr. 27 Nr. 28 Nr. 29 Nr. 30 Nr. 31 Nr. 32 Nr. 33 Nr. 34

GROUNDWATER MODELLING UNDER UNCERTAINTY OF THE HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY

by Gerald Ashie Akpoji, 282 pp, (1993) Price: 16.1 Euro

NUMERICAL MODELLING OF GROUNDWATER FLOW SYSTEMS BY HEXAHEDRAL FINITE ELEMENTS

by Abdelkader Larabi, 270 pp, (1994) Price: 16.1 Euro

CONTRIBUTIONS TO RAINFALL-RUNOFF MODELLING ON BASIN SCALE

by Ni-Lar-Win, 217 pp, (1994) Price: 13.6 Euro

HYDROLOGY AT THE VUB 1979-1994 INCLUDING IUPHY-ALUMNI

by A. Van der Beken (editor), 336 pp. (1994)

STOCHASTIC PREDICTION OF SUMMER RAINFALL AMOUNTS OVER THE NORTHEAST AFRICAN HIGHLANDS AND OVER INDIA
by Y. Seleshi, 351 pp. (1995) Price: 18.6 Euro

CONCEPTUAL STOCHASTIC STREAMFLOW MODELS MONTE CARLO SIMULATION AND FORECASTING

by Zhong-Min Wang, 291 pp. (1996) Price 13.6 Euro

FOR

MODELLING OF TOXIC POLLUTANTS TRANSPORT IN AN ESTUARINE ENVIRONMENT

by F. Mwanuzi, 211 pp. (1998) Price: 13.6 Euro

CONCEPTUAL RAINFALL - RUNOFF MODELS FOR DIFFERENT TIME STEPS

by F. Moreda, 229 pp. (1999) Price: 13.6 Euro

WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT OF RIVER BASINS AND EVALUATION OF THE IMPACT OF COMBINED SEWER OVERFLOWS USING AN INTEGRATED MODELLING APPROACH

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Nr. 35

Nr. 36 Nr. 37 Nr. 38

Nr. 39 Nr. 40 Nr. 41

Nr. 42

Nr. 43

by C. Fronteau, 252 pp. + annexes. (1999) Price: 14.9 Euro A METHODOLOGY FOR AN ADAPTIVE REAL TIME CONTROL FOR FLOOD MITIGATION BASED ON SOFT COMPUTING TECHNIQUES by A. Debebe, 228 pp. (1999) Price: 13.6 Euro MODELLING THREE DIMENSIONAL GROUNDWATER FLOW AND TRANSPORT BY HEXAHEDRAL FINITE ELEMENTS by M. A. Sbai, 211 pp. (1999) Price: 13.6 Euro BAYESIAN INTERPRETATION OF THE FERMENTATION TUBE TESTS by M. Nawalany, 122 pp (2000) Price: 16.1 Euro SENSITIVITY OF A CONTINUOUS WATER-QUALITY SIMULATION MODEL TO UNCERTAIN MODEL-INPUT PARAMETERS by G. Manache, 204 pp. (2001) Price: 13.6 Euro STOCHASTIC DELINEATION OF WELL CAPTURE ZONES by L. Feyen, 234 pp. (2002) Price: 14 Euro DEVELOPMENT TOWARDS INTEGRATED WATER QUALITY MODELLING FOR RIVER BASINS by A. Van Griensven, 236 pp. (2002) Price: 14 Euro MODELLING THE EFFECT OF CLIMATE AND LAND-USE CHANGES ON THE HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES: An integrated GIS and distributed modelling approach by S. Gebremeskel Guangul, 259 pp. (2003) Price: 18 Euro HYDROGEOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE TRIFA AQUIFER, BASED ON A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH USING GEOSTATISTICS, GIS, AND NUMERICAL MODELLING by El Houcyne El Idrysy, 204 pp. + annexes (2003) Price: 18 Euro CHARACTERIZATION OF A KARSTIC SYSTEM BY AN INTEGRATIVE AND MULTI-APPROACH STUDY A case study of Suoi Muoi and Nam La catchments in Northwest Vietnam by Vu Thanh Tam, 152 pp. (2003) Price: 16 Euro Dienst Uitgaven VUB Wettelijk Depot 1885

To be ordered at Department of Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering, VUB, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels. fax +32-2-6293022, e-mail: hydr@vub.ac.be Your order will be followed by an invoice which must be paid prior to the dispatching of the publication.

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Ask avdbeken@vub.ac.be for a copy of:

A REVIEW OF RECENT PAPERS ON WATER RELATED EDUCATION AND TRAINING

SOME CRITICAL AND PROVOCATIVE THOUGHTS FOR DISCUSSION by J. CUNGE and A. VAN DER BEKEN Based on 8 papers published in the UNESCO-led

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS

A source of knowledge for sustainable development and global security to lead to fulfillment of human needs through simultaneous socioeconomic and technological progress and conservation of the Earth's natural systems

The Largest On-line Encyclopedia - An Integrated Virtual Library

http://www.eolss.net
Author A. Van der Beken W. H. Gilbrich A. Armanini W. H. Gilbrich P. Gourbesville K. P. Holz & F. Molkenthin R. M. Damian S. Zaccolo Title Water-related Education, Training, and Technology Transfer Water Resources Education and Training Water Resources and Environmental Engineering Problems at Undergraduate-Graduate Level Continuing Education and Training (CET) Education and Training for Decision Makers Web-based Water-related Education and Training Increasing Effectiveness of Higher Education Professional Development

This document is distributed by the European Thematic Network of Education and Training for ENVIRONMENT-WATER (ETNET21), supported by the ECSOCRATES Programme, with the agreement of EOLSS Publisher, Ltd. and with the help of the Local Organising Committee of the 30th Congress of the International Association of Hydraulic Engineering and Research (IAHR), Thessaloniki, Greece, 24-29 August 2003.

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9.

MEMBERS OF THE LABORATORY ON 31.12.2003

Professors : W. Bauwens, F. De Smedt , J.J. Peters (part-time), A. Van der Beken (emeritius)

Academic Staff Scientific Staff

O. Batelaan, J. Cools, J. Corluy, A. Cosemans, Y. Meyus, J. Severyns, B. Verbeiren

Administrative and Technical Staff PhD-Students

H. De Coninck, E. Van den Storme, E. Verbeken

A. Aish, A. Bahremand, L. Q. Hung, Y. Liu, C. Magori, R. J. Nurmohamed, J. Rwetabula, N. Vu Thi Minh, L. N. Thanh, S. Woldeamlak Tuccu, Y. Zeleke Sitotaw

IUPWARE and PHYLARES students, July 2003

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WORLD DAY FOR WATER

22 March 2004
Water and disasters

The UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (http://www.unisdr.org/) and the World Meteorological Organization (http://www.wmo.ch/index-en.html) have been charged with coordinating events on the day.

Origin and purpose of World Day for Water

Background The United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/47/193 of 22 February 1993 by which 22 March of each year would be declared World Day for Water, to be observed starting in 1993, in conformity with the recommendations of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development contained in chapter 18 (Fresh Water Resources) of Agenda 21. States were invited to devote the Day, as appropriate in the national context, to concrete activities such as the promotion of public awareness through the publication and diffusion of documentaries and the organization of conferences, round tables, seminars and expositions related to the conservation and development of water resources and the implementation of the recommendations of Agenda 21. Objectives World Day for Water is pivotal in focusing attention on the need, amongst others, to: address the problems relating to drinking water supply increase awareness about the importance of conservation, preservation, and the protection of water resources and drinking water supply increase governments, international agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private sector participation and cooperation in organization of WWD celebrations increase participation and cooperation from government, international agencies, nongovernmental

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organizations and private sector practices in the organization of WWD celebration Strategies The following are suggested actions and activities that can be carried out at country level to develop awareness campaigns in countries by government and their partners. The partnership between governments, private sector, NGOs and professional organizations can be enhanced through participation and collaboration in these events: Promote mass media educational programmes Focus on school children and youth Promote community and self-help programmes Increase public and private sector support, through collaboration and participation in the celebrations Increase awareness of decision makers Potential Actions The potential actions that can be carried out by related water organizations can be described as follows: Organization of an Open Day during which institutions and the private sector dealing with water issues are open to the public so all stakeholders are able to visit water supply installations, treatment plants, irrigation installations etc. Articles detailing water issues in local newspapers, newsletters and other (governmental) periodicals Newspaper supplements on water resources TV feature programmes on water resources TV interviews of senior water spokespersons School competitions Distribution of brochures and posters to secondary schools Water quizzes on radio programmes Photo exhibits Water seminars and symposia Water cleaning or saving campaigns The celebrations The themes of previous World Day for Water celebrations are: 2003: 2002: 2001: 2000: 1999: 1998: 1997: 1996: 1995: 1994: Water for future Water for Development Water and Health Water for the 21st century Everyone Lives Downstream Groundwater - the Invisible Resource The Worlds Water: Is There Enough? Water for Thirsty Cities Women and Water Caring for our water resources is everyones business

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More can be read at

http://www.unesco.org/water/water_celebrations/

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WATER FOR LIFE: UN proclaims international water decade 2005-2015

At its 58th session, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted a draft resolution proclaiming the period from 2005 to 2015 as the International Decade for Action, "Water for Life", starting on World Water Day, 22 Mar 2005. The goal of the Decade is "a greater focus on water-related issues, with emphasis on women as managers of water [.] to help to achieve internationally agreed water-related goals", i.e.: to halve by 2015 the proportion of people who are unable to reach or afford safe drinking water and who do not have access to basic sanitation. Coordination of activities for the Decade will be in the hands of the UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs (since 1 Sep 2003, Jos Antonio Ocampo of Colombia). More than 20 years ago, the UN declared 1981-1990 as the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade. The aim then was to provide safe drinking water and adequate sanitation systems for all people by 1991. Web address: United Nations General Assembly 58th Session, http://www.un.org/ga/58/ ; Water resources in the United Nations system, http://www.un.org/partners/civil_society/m-water.shtml See also UN General Assembly document A/58/485, 15 Dec 2003, http://ods-ddsny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N03/657/51/PDF/N0365751.pdf?OpenEleme nt Contact: UN Department mailto:esa@un.org; of Economic and Social Affairs, 2003,

(UN, 23 Dec http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2003/ga10224.doc.htm; - 82 -

UN, 9 Dec http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2003/gaef3068.doc.htm)

2003,

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Notes

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