Environment and Water Studies (EWS) Department at the University of Yangon was established to contribute the capacity building of the human resources working in the Myanmar water and environment sectors. The decision to establish the Department came as a result of the immense endowment of Myanmar’s water resources that poses both tremendous opportunity for sustainable and equitable development, as well as a tremendous number of governance challenges and social risks to navigate.

Bachelor in Water Studies Program will be offered in 2022-2023 academic year.

Research Plan

Anticipated Challenges

  • Research infrastructure will need to be provided with the facilities as well as the procurement of new research tools to support the cutting edge research.
  • The department needs to support growth in research activity, and meet the growing demand in the country.
  • The department needs to diversify funding sources.

 

Mandate

The Water and Environmental Studies Department is responsible for the provision of a broad spectrum of fundamental water knowledge and expertise that has worldwide significance in the fields of water and related disciplines. This serves as the foundation for interdisciplinary research, applied research and collaborations within the university and beyond.

 

The Plan

Philosophy. The department believes that the long term interests of students, faculty, the university, and the community are best served by excellence in fundamental research. Research addressing a broad range of fundamental issues is critical to maintaining the ongoing health and intellectual quality of the department. The research provides students with experience at the cutting edge of science and prepares them for high-level employment, including further research at the top scientific institutions in the world.

Research Goals. The department will enhance its stature as a research-intensive department. Research within the department is primarily devoted to questions of fundamental importance, but also includes applied research relevant locally, nationally, and internationally. The department will:

  1. Support and promote fundamental and applied research excellence driven by faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students.
  2. Follow a research agenda designed to support the training of undergraduate and graduate students and the needs of the country.
  3. Engage with partners within and outside of University of Yangon to promote and support interdisciplinary research, research networking, and research collaboration

Research Agenda. The department is committed to research the core area of:

  • Water resource management
  • Water quality and pollution control
  • Water and energy
  • Water and climate change

Action Plan (2021-2025): The department will:

  1. Endeavour to provide more research opportunities for teaching staff through applications for funding.
  2. Promote research at the undergraduate level and provide them opportunities to present their work at the seminars and conferences.
  3. Have activity to teach the students how to conduct research effectively and ethically.
  4. Promote breadth in its programs by arranging research seminars by top quality external speakers and requiring the students to attend all departmental seminars.
  5. Encourage the participation of faculty, students, and other researchers in national and international conferences to increase the exposure of our research and training, and to increase our knowledge and expertise.
  6. Increase participation in university/industry events and engage more with companies to explore opportunities for collaboration.

 


 International Collaborative Research

 

  • An Evaluation of Availability and Adequacy of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems in Asian Countries: A Baseline Study, conducted in collaboration with Universidad de Cantabria (Spain), University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka), Maldives National University (Maldives), Ateneo de Manila University (Philippines), Published in International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 2020
  • Upstream-Downstream Interface for Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System in Myanmar, conducted in collaboration with University of Huddersfield (UK), 2019
  • Evaluation of Coastal Disaster Resilience and Understanding the Disaster Management Framework of Myanmar, conducted in collaboration with University of Peradeniya and University of Moratuwa (Sri Lanka), 2019
  • Application of Capacitive Deionization (CDI) Technology for Treating the Brackish Ground Water in Dala, Yangon, Myanmar, conducted in collaboration with Souel National University (South Korea), published in Journal of Appropriate Technology, 2018

 

Research conducted

  • Application of Biofilm in Waste Water Treatment (2020)
  • Natural Water Filter by using Plant Xylem from Pine Tree and H2S Paper-Strip Test (2019)
  • Assessment on Rural Water Resources and Water Supply Condition of Pinlaung Township, Shan State, Myanmar (2018)
  • Distribution of Water Resources and their Management for Southern Shan State, Myanmar (2018)
  • Study on the Antimicrobial Properties of ZnO Nanoparticles for Application in Water Treatment (2018)
  • Assessment on Fresh Water Problem and Water Supply in Taunggyi, Shan State, Myanmar (2017)

 

 

On-going Research

  • Industrial Wastewater Treatment Using Membrane Bioreactor
  • Comparison of Water Quality Assessment between Inlay Lake and Sam Kha Inn Lake, Nyaung Shwe Township, Shan State
  • Spatial and Temporal Water Quality Changes in Inle Lake, Shan State, Myanmar between 2006 and 2019
  • Hydroclimatological Analysis on Ayeyarwady River Basin, Myanmar: Case Study on Myit Nge River (Dothtawaddy River) and Nawin River
  • Fabrication and Characterization of TiO2 Nanotube Arrays for Environmental Application

 


- Water Resource Management
- Water Quality and Pollution Control
- Water and Energy
- Water and Climate Change
- Water Governance
- Water Humanity

  • Developing Post-graduate Diploma curriculum with Central European University (Hungary)
  • Developing BSc (Water Studies) curriculum with Northern Illinois University (USA), Colorado State University (USA), VU University Amsterdam (the Netherlands), and Lund University (Sweden)
  • Nuffic_Orange Knowledge Programme, Tailor- Made Training Project (Jan 2020 – Dec 2020) with VU University Amsterdam (the Netherlands)
  • Nuffic_Orange Knowledge Programme, Tailor- Made Training Plus Project (July 2020 – Mar 2022) with VU University Amsterdam (the Netherlands)
  • Future Dams Project (Nov 2019 – Oct 2021) with University of Manchester, UK
  • Hosting Fulbright specialist from Oregon State University for the area of Water and Health (Jan-Mar 2021), USA