Water and Environment (WAE)

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Water and Environment (WAE)

Cambodian Context 

Water is a huge issue in the world and particularly in Cambodia. Although the country is crossed by the Mekong river and possesses a large freshwater lake (the Tonle Sap Great Lake), Cambodia is vulnerable to the succession of annual floods and droughts with severe episodes. Many problems arise due to changes in land use, natural resource exploitation, and climate change. Moreover, there is a concern with the current and future situation of intensive use of groundwater for irrigation in the dry season, seawater intrusion in the coastal areas, heavy metals release due to mining activities, non-point source pollution from agriculture, soil erosion, air pollution, and urbanization with no wastewater treatment. Besides regional water environmental issues, the quality of water is low in rural areas or low-income urban environments with contamination of crops, fecal contamination, and strong arsenic concentration in groundwater in the Lower Mekong area.

Research plays a pivotal role in environmental protection by providing the knowledge to better understand and manage issues such as climate change and water quality & availability. In parallel, the development of innovative and environmentally friendly technologies can offer sustainable economic opportunities through the responsible management of both natural and man-made resources. Often, environmental challenges go beyond national frontiers and require a coordinated approach in ASEAN and at the global level.

Vision

Our vision is to become a well-known knowledge hub to provide scientific research information on the utilization and management of water and the environment for sustainable development in the region.

Purposes

  • To bring together institutional-wide centers and researchers to tackle national, regional, and global water and environmental issues through multi and interdisciplinary research under Research and Innovation Center. 
  • To develop and offer a graduate program on Science in Water and Environmental Engineering that support to STEAM and benefit to civil society.
  • To provide knowledge, skill, tool, and awareness pertaining to water and environmental quality and human-environment interactions in order to improve and sustain the function of environmental systems, protect human health and economic growth.

Mission

  • Conducting multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary both basic and applied research on the utilization and protection of the environment, minimization, and treatment of pollution particularly to the water resources, hydrological and ecological systems.
  • Developing, demonstrating, and disseminating new findings and methodology supporting science and engineering for the environmental management and monitoring, disaster management, ecological restoration, treatment, and disposal of pollution.
  • Collaborating on the local and global scale in research and education to protect the precision resources that comply with national policy and SDG to sustains human life.
  • Educating and training personnel for management, supervision, and operation of water resources and environmental systems.

Research Theme

 The research unit Water and Environmental Engineering is established to address the needs of Cambodia in this very large field. Research activity is needed:

  1. Water and Watershed Management (WWM): Hydrological Modeling and Analysis, Hydrogeological Analysis, Groundwater, and surface water interaction, Water Balance, Soil Erosion, River Bank Erosion and failure, Land Use Change, Environmental Modelling, Watershed Carrying Capacity, Soil-Plant-Water Relation, Agricultural Water Management, GIS and Remote Sensing, Hydraulic Structure, …
  2. Water Supply and Wastewater (WSW): Drinking Water Assessment and Treatment, Pollution Management, Waste Water Treatment, WASH, Water Treatment Technology, Microbiology, Water Quality Modeling, Water Biochemistry
  3. Urban Environment Management (UEM): Air Pollution Management, Low Impact Development, Noise and Vibration Control, Stormwater Management, Urban Drainage Development, Solid Waste Management, Hazardous Waste Management, E-waste Management, Environmental Health, and Risk Assessment 
  4. Coastal and Marine Environment (CME): Seawater Intrusion, Coastal Processes, and Sediment Transport, Coastal Wetland Ecosystem, Sea Surface Current, Sea Grass and Coral Protection, Wave Impact on Coastal and Offshore Structures, Coastal Karst Landforms, Coastal Geology, Coastal Flood Management, 
  5. Disaster Management and Climate System (DCS): Weather Forecasting, Weather Forecasting, Climate Change Modeling, Climate Change Downscaling, Climate Change Impacts, Climate Change Vulnerability, and Adaptation, Tropical Meteorology, Flood/Drought Management, other hazards. 

The research Unit Water and Environmental Engineering has strong interactions with a worldwide community of researchers and stakeholders focused on climate change, environmental disasters prevention, as well as companies involved in waste management, water supply, wastewater, and sanitation. 

Research Projects