Water Supply and Sanitation in Emergencies
This course is a part of
This course will provide you with state-of-the-art theoretical and practical knowledge of water and sanitation issues in emergencies, enabling you to work in the WASH sector.
With focus on fundamental information needed about the disaster, combined with the latest disease transmission knowledge, you will gain skills to identify socio-cultural, geographical and technical appropriate sustainable solutions for water and sanitation interventions.
All theory is combined with practical exercises to get you familiar with field equipment, such as chemical water quality analysis, water tank construction, water pumping, different water treatments and latrine construction.
Course content
The course will be divided into 5 main clusters:
- Anthropological assessment approaches in emergency situations.
- Health and disease transmission in emergency settings.
- Technical and theoretical aspects of water and sanitation.
- Practical aspects of water and sanitation.
- Case study and exam where the participants will apply knowledge and skills acquired during the course.
For more details about the course, please refer to the course curriculum.
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The MDMa programme really helped me understand the language used in the sector. This is something I use every single day in my work now.
Course director on »Water Supply and Sanitation in Emergencies«
Peter Kjær Mackie JensenAssociate Professor |
Course details for »Water Supply and Sanitation in Emergencies«
Dates and examination
Course dates
3–28 March 2025 – online
31 March–11 April 2025 – on-campus
The course will also be offered in Spring 2027.
Examination
Please find the exam dates in the exam plan.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course participants will have a comprehensive theoretical and practical knowledge of water and sanitation in the different phases of emergencies, including disease prevention and preparedness.
On completion of the course, you will be able to:
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demonstrate knowledge on Water and sanitation issues in different settings and accepted approaches/guidelines to deal with them
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analyse and apply this knowledge to assess and prioritize the water and sanitation needs for a population in emergency situations in a variety of practical settings, adjusting to time and resources available
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design and develop appropriate water and sanitation strategies for taking appropriate measures to avoid disease outbreak situations in emergency situations.
Admission criteria
You must meet the following criteria to be admitted to this course:
- Hold a relevant bachelor degree or equivalent.
- Have a minimum 2 years of relevant job experience.
- Be proficient in English.
Find detailed information in the admission criteria on Master of Disaster Management.
Priority is given to enrolled students
This course is offered as an elective course in the Master of Disaster Management programme. Priority is given to students already enrolled. Once the enrolled students have been admitted to the course, the remaining seats are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Tuition fees
EU/EEA citizens
Master student: 13,500 DKK
Single course student: 15,000 DKK
Non-EU/EEA citizens
Master student: 19,250 DKK
Single course student: 20,000 DKK
Participants will cover their own transportation costs for the 4-day practical exercises to the Red Cross Warehouse in Hedehusene (outside Copenhagen).
More information
All course information is available in the course curriculum:Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Department of Public Health
Øster Farimagsgade 5
DK-1353 Copenhagen
Peter Kjær Mackie Jensen
Associate Professor
My focus area is cholera, water, sanitation, hygiene, and the transmission of diarrheal diseases. Currently, most of my work is related to Bangladesh, but many of the theories depart from our investigations of the 1853 cholera outbreak in Copenhagen.
I am currently heading the disasters and environmental hygiene research group at the section of Global health in the Department of Public health.
I have previously linked my environmental health profile with my interest in disasters through my position as Director of the Copenhagen Center for Disaster Research, COPE, and Head of Studies for the Master of Disaster Management program (MDMa), which I co-created in 2008.