Water and South

Water resources and their management are often addressed through knowledge and principles established in developed countries in temperate zones. However, countries in the South, starting with the Mediterranean and Africa, offer us an extreme diversity of social and environmental situations that force us to significantly change our perspectives and question the validity of certain approaches that are too far removed from the reality on the ground.

Researchers working mainly in southern countries draw on their practical experience to reflect on the specific characteristics of hydrological and geochemical processes in very dry or very humid tropical regions, the consequences of anthropization, and the challenges of sustainable water resource management.

A significant amount of time is devoted to the critical analysis of scientific articles dealing with water resources and their management in the South.

Scientific objective:

Addressing the diversity of water resources (surface, groundwater) in non-temperate regions and their management:

1. Identify the hydrological differences between tropical and temperate climates:
   • geographical peculiarities:          

                  - large tropical river basins (Amazon, Congo, Niger, Mekong)

                   - arid and semi-arid areas

• singularities in processes (nature, intensity; time-space) 

2. Adapt observation protocols to these unique environments 

           - fundamental questions of spatial and temporal representativeness of observations,

            - limitations of interpretation and modeling methods

            - necessary cross-fertilization of approaches.

3. Consider the consequences of these unique characteristics for resource management (quantity, quality) now and in the future.

Educational objective:

1. Acquire new knowledge about the hydrological characteristics of southern regions:

- original processes (phenomena unknown in temperate zones, or occurring with different intensity in tropical environments),

- some orders of magnitude, uncertainties.

2. Develop critical thinking skills with regard to data, field observations (particularly given the practical difficulties involved in instrumentation), and methods of interpreting and using data.

Take a critical look at the approaches usually developed in temperate zones and, more generally, take a step back to consider the limitations of these approaches.

3. Integrate human and social, environmental, and technical dimensions into a holistic vision of water resource management.

Knowledge of the various components of the hydrological cycle and methods for quantifying them.

Strong interest in water management issues in the South.

Critical thinking.

The written analysis of a scientific article and its oral presentation account for half of the final grade. The other half of the grade corresponds to the evaluation of answers to a series of questions covering the contributions of the various researchers involved in the module.

Until last year, courses were taught entirely in the traditional manner and in person. Starting in 2020/21, some courses will gradually be converted into videos that will be shown before the start of the module. These videos will be assumed to have already been watched and will serve as a starting point for a question-and-answer session between the teacher and the students. This requires more personal investment than dozing off at the back of the classroom.