Nearly sixty people have successfully completed an online course on green infrastructure devised by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in India, in collaboration with the International Water Security Network (IWSN) and the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol).
Green Infrastructure: Effective Measures to Manage Urban Flooding and Water Supply consisted of 24 study hours over a period of four weeks during February 2020. The course was designed to help students, environmental enthusiasts and working professionals learn the concepts and principles of green infrastructure for improved urban water management at their own comfort and pace. The aim is to build a community of practice that can successfully work towards designing and implementing green infrastructure interventions in towns/cities.
The course was the first of many planned activities that will take place under a three-year collaboration between CSE and IWSN/UWE Bristol.
There was a diverse group of participants: early to mid-career professionals from government organizations (Sircilla Municipality, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation), consultants (Mott MacDonald, TERI), NGO workers (UNICEF, Blue Water Company), and academic researchers and university students (IIT Dhanbad, IIT Roorkee, CEPT University, among others). There was a near-equal gender ratio (47.5% female to 52.5% male), and although most of the participants were from India, four were from other countries.
There was plenty of positive feedback about the course, with participants saying:
- “Thank you to all our teachers for seeing us through this course. It was a wonderful learning experience for a novice like me.”
- “I had a great time and experience pursuing this course, especially as a working professional with limited time to spare. I would personally like to recommend this course and similar courses organised by CSE India and would myself be on the lookout for more such opportunities. Thanking all the people involved in putting this course together.”
- “This course is incredibly informative and easy to follow. Within a short span of time, I gained knowledge on different dimensions of Green Infrastructure particularly about different approaches, interventions and best practices through case studies. The additional study materials are a great resource and I am continuing to learn through them. As a teacher, it has given me a great knowledge on the subject and I will be passing this on to my students with lots of confidence and enthusiasm.”
- “I am thankful to all the teachers and experts for giving us guidance throughout the course. It was great experience.”