Water Resources Systems
United Nations University (UNU-IAS)
Autumn 2023
Location: 6F Lecture Room
Time: From October 2023 until February 2024
Lecturer: Jian Pu, Marcin Jarzebski
Contact Information: (pu@unu.edu)
Office Hours: by appointment
As of 15 June 2023 (Subject to change)

Course Description
Water resources are under immense pressure due to increases in water demand owing topopulation growth and expanded industrial and economic activity. The stress has been further
exacerbated by increasing water pollution and global climate change. Adequate water quality
and quantity are essential for the sustainable growth of any region or country. This course aims
to provide a broad understanding of hydrological processes, socio-economic development, global
environmental changes, and their roles and interaction in water resources management. This
course highlights integrated watershed management, providing watershed and system concepts.
The course offers various issues related to water resources and sustainability through casestudies and field visits.

Course Objectives and Learning Goals
The students will gain a comprehensive overview of water and its relation to human andenvironmental well-being. The students will be familiar with global and regional water-related
issues and acquire basic knowledge and techniques to manage water-related problems.

Requirements and Grading Policy
Assessment will be based on class attendance, presentation and discussion, a short final test
and extended essay with the following allocations;• Active attendance: 20 % of total marks (80 % attendance is required)• Assignment: 50% of total marks (Critical review on topics chosen by the students based on
the above lectures)• Presentation: 30% of total marks (30 minutes presentation on water resource systems
including question and answers, maximum number of slides not more than 30)
Class Participation

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The course requires students to attend all classes, to finish tasks in each class. At the discretion of
the instructor, frequent late arrivals or absences may result in a lower grade. Please note thatthe first session is of particular importance and cannot be missed. Materials of each class will beshared by the instructor before the class.

Course Outline
LectureNo.
1TitleDate

The world’s fresh water resources

October 5 (Thu) 11:2013:00

2

Water and sustainability

October 12 (Thu) 11:2013:00

3Water withdrawals and uses

October 19 (Thu) 11:2013:00

4Water quality and water sanitation

October 26 (Thu) 11:2013:00

5

Instructors/InvitedSpeakers if any

Jian Pu

November 2 (Thu)
11:20-13:00

6

Wastewater treatment systems 1

November 9 (Thu)
11:20-13:00

Jian Pu

7

Wastewater treatment systems 2

November 16 (Thu)
11:20-13:00

Jian Pu

8

Field Trip to Shibaura Water Reclamation
Center (Duration: 2h30min)

Jian Pu

9

How companies' ESG action influences
their financial performance - aquantitative study focusing on waterrelated data in private sector
Water economy with practical exercises

November 23 (Thu)
11:20-13:00 → UNUH
or
November 22 (Wed)
11:20-13:00
November 30 (Thu)
11:20-13:00

December 7 (Thu)
11:20-13:00

Jian Pu/Dr. Geetha
Mohan (Speaker
will be online)

December 14 (Thu)
11:20-13:00 → MIPA10
Or
December 13 (Wed)
11:20-13:00

Marcin Jarzebski

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11

Field Trip to Kuramae Water House(Duration: 2h30min)

2

Jian Pu/Dr. JiaqiYang

12January 4 (Thu) 11:2013:00

13January 11 (Thu) 11:2013:00

Marcin Jarzebski

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January 18 (Thu) 11:2013:00

Marcin Jarzebski

Course Readings••••

Water Resources Engineering by Larry W. Mays, John Wiley & Sons, 2nd Edition, 2010.
IPCC AR5 WG 2 Summary report for policy makers, 2014.
World Water Assessment Programme (2009): The United Nations World Water Development
Report 3. Water in a Changing World, UNESCO, Part 1 (Ch. 1, 3, 5), Part 2(Ch. 7, 8), Part 3(Ch.
10,11)
Water Evaluation and Planning System (2012): A collection of stand-alone modules to aid inlearning the WEAP software (http://www.weap21.org/index.asp?action=213)

Additional reading materials: to be determined and selected by instructors for each session.

Important Information
Class Conduct & Etiquette
Students are expected to arrive on time and not to engage in disruptive behavior during class.
This includes, among other things, private side conversations, the use of cellphones and otherelectronic devices, or the reading of newspapers. Cellphones should be switched off and stored in
the bag. We wish to create an atmosphere of open and tolerant discussion in the classroom andrequest students to recognize every individual’s right to have an opinion. The lecturer and otherstudents should be treated with dignity and respect, in discussions on contentious political issues
where a diversity of opinion is likely to arise. However, we also recognize that there are limits totolerance and the lecturer reserves the right to request disciplinary action against any student
who violates this policy or repeatedly shows disruptive behavior in class.

Academic Misconduct
If evidence of academic misconduct on tasks and final test should be found, the student may
receive a failing grade for the entire course and will be reported to the appropriate authorities
for disciplinary action.

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Invited Speakers/Lecturers BioDr. Geetha Mohan (Lecture 9)
Professor, Center for Far Eastern Studies, Toyama University, Japan
Geetha Mohan joined the Center for Far Eastern Studies (CFES) as a Professor in May 2022. Heholds his doctoral degree in Economics from India. Before joining the University of Toyama, DrMohan worked as a Research Fellow at the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced
Study of Sustainability. He has more than one decade of experience in sustainability sciencestudies, climate change adaptation, impact assessment, the economics of climate change, watermanagement, and impact assessment.
Dr. Jiaqi Yang (Lecture 12)
Data Scientist & ESG Analyst, Sustainable Lab Inc., Japan
Jiaqi Yang holds a doctoral degree in Environmental Studies from The University of Tokyo. He isworking as data scientist in Sustainable lab Inc, a Japanese fintech start-up company specializing
in ESG/SDGs big data. He is specifically in charge of ESG/SDGs data research and analysis. Heholds his PhD degree in Sustainability science from the University of Tokyo. Before joining thecurrent company, he also did internship at the United Nations Department of Economic andSocial Affairs (UNDESA) with experience in designing evaluation on SDGs practices.

Important Information
Class Conduct & Etiquette
Students are expected to arrive on time and not to engage in disruptive behaviours duringclass, e.g., private conversations, using cell phones and other electronic devices, and reading
newspapers. Cell phones should be switched off and stored in a bag. We wish to create an
atmosphere of open and tolerant discussion in the classroom and request students recognise
every individual’s right to have an opinion. The lecturer and other students should be treatedwith dignity and respect, particularly in discussions on contentious political issues wherediverse opinions are likely to arise. However, we also recognise tolerance limits, and thelecturer reserves the right to request disciplinary action against any student who violates thispolicy or repeatedly shows disruptive behaviours in class.
Academic Misconduct
If evidence of academic misconduct on tasks and final test should be found, the student may
receive a failing grade for the entire course and will be reported to the appropriate authorities
for disciplinary action.
Computer Use in Class
The use of computers (including tablets) in the classroom is restricted to taking notes, reading
the course material, or searching for course-related information on the internet. Any
disruption of the class by cell phones, instant messaging programs, or other communication
devices will not be tolerated. The lecturer reserves the right to revoke this permission if astudent is found using a computer for any non-course-related activities.

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Plagiarism & Academic Misconduct
Please be aware that the consequences of plagiarism are severe, and students found guilty ofacademic misconduct will be punished in accordance with UNU’s academic honesty policies.
The lecturer reserves the right to run all assignments through anti-plagiarism software
provided by the UNU. If evidence of academic misconduct on the assigned presentations, themid-term exam or the final essay should be found, the assignment will receive a failing grade.
In case of repeated violations of academic conduct, the student may receive a failing grade forthe entire course and will be reported to the appropriate authorities for disciplinary action.

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