The course aims to share experience and practices from China on enabling policy and environment, technology innovations and applications and market development to ensure safer, more affordable and climate-resilient drinking water services in the context of water scarcity and crisis.
The following key topics will be covered:
- Policies and engineering planning for rural drinking water projects
- Water source development, utilization and protection technology
- Drinking water quality purification and disinfection, detection and monitoring technology
- Rural water projects operation and maintenance
- Innovations and cases in the marketplace
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) are vital to ensuring every child lives in a safe and clean environment, which is one of UNICEF’s five Goal Areas in UNICEF Strategic Plan 2022-2025.
Safe drinking water is essential for children’s health and physical development and may also affect their education and livelihoods for their families and communities. But in many countries and regions worldwide, water insecurity and lack of sanitation are putting children’s lives at risk and threatening future generations.
Today 1.42 billion people – including 450 million children – live in areas of high or extreme water vulnerability. Decades of misuse, poor management, over-extraction and contamination of water resources coupled with rising demand from growing populations, urbanization and industrial development have accentuated water stress and scarcity. Furthermore, climate change is compounding the situation by disrupting access to clean water, resulting in rising sea levels, extreme weather and natural disasters which are increasingly disrupting water infrastructure and services in communities, schools and health facilities, especially for poor and vulnerable children and their families living in remote and challenging conditions. Therefore, UNICEF has the goal, by 2025, to reach 450 million children and their families (1.3 billion people) most in need with solutions to improve water security towards the realization of SDG 6 of the 2030 Agenda.
In this context, UNICEF China is working closely with partners in China and the region to reimagine the WASH sector to assure water security for all, including by means of advocating for political commitment and policy change, promoting financing and capacity development, mobilizing businesses and innovations, and engaging young people as agents of change. As part of such an effort, promoting capacity development through sharing and mutual learning among developing countries is key to progress. Experience and good practices from countries like China and other Mekong countries have great potential for sharing more widely with others and contributing to resolving the water challenges.
This MOOC course features a series of training videos sharing the following related topics in search of sustainable water solutions:
- Policies and engineering planning for rural drinking water projects
- Water source development, utilization and protection technology
- Drinking water quality purification and disinfection, detection and monitoring technology
- Rural water projects operation and maintenance
- Innovations and cases in the marketplace
The copyrights belong to speakers of the following partner institutions:
- Module 1: China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research
- Module 2: Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Module 3: Hangzhou Regional Center for Small Hydropower
- Module 4: Wuhan Qinchuan Middle School
- Module 5: China Water Enterprises Association
- Module 6: Center for Rural Drinking Water Safety, Ministry of Water Resources
Acknowledgements to technical support by:
- Lancang- Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Center
- Academy of Agricultural Planning and Engineering of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs
- Publicity and Education Center of the Ministry of Water Resources