Training Courses
Water Sanitation and Hygiene in Emergencies (WASH)

In any humanitarian crisis, communities need access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation and hygiene.

Water-borne diseases are major killers in disasters and complex emergencies. They can occur where large populations are displaced, or where local infrastructure has been destroyed by a natural hazard or conflict.

This course will introduce you to the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector in emergencies, and is designed for those who want to benefit from industry-leading WASH engineering practice.

Who is this course for?

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the components of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in emergencies for humanitarian workers. It is ideal if you are already involved or likely to be involved in public health and WASH programming, as a field officer, coordinator and/or decision maker.

You are expected to have a base level understanding of WASH issues. The course suits water, environmental and public health engineers, WASH project managers, and public or environmental health specialists involved in emergency responses. It is also suitable for those with technical skills oriented toward large-scale urban systems, who want to adapt their skills to humanitarian emergency work, as well as anyone who has already worked or volunteered in emergency relief and wants to improve or learn new public health engineering skills.

The course is in English and a reasonable proficiency is required by participants.

Find out if this course is right for you. Contact our training team for more information - [email protected] 

No Dates Currently Available
Victorian Emergency Management Institute (VEMI) , Mount Macedon, Victoria, Australia
Address: 601 Mount Macedon Rd, Mount Macedon, VIC 3441

Our Training Team

Our highly experienced trainers deliver a unique and high quality training experience. They have extensive experience in complex emergencies and natural disasters in Africa, the Middle East, the Americas and the Asia Pacific.

Learning Objectives

Aims and Objectives

This course provides an in-depth knowledge of public health engineering and environmental health in emergencies, the practical application of internationally recognised standards and best practice approaches to the delivery of emergency water, sanitation and hygiene responses, and the basics of WASH cluster coordination.

Course Objectives

  • The links between water, sanitation and health, and the threats posed by environmental diseases
  • Effective hygiene promotion in a crisis context
  • The complexity of delivering safe water and sanitation in an emergency
  • The standard equipment used in the field for emergency WASH response
  • Planning and coordinating WASH responses in emergencies

Course Outline

  • Public health risks in emergencies
  • Practical coordination of humanitarian response
  • WASH standards – Sphere
  • Water source identification
  • Site selection and planning
  • WASH needs assessment
  • Fieldwork: assessment and data collection
  • Case study – coordination, assessment and site planning
  • Water supply and distribution (incl ‘pipes and fittings’)
  • Water quality and treatment
  • Complete tank construction
  • Set up alum dosing
  • Water pumping and distribution
  • Planning and equipment selection
  • Excreta disposal and latrines
  • Hygiene promotion
  • Monitoring and evaluation
  • Environmental sanitation (solid waste management, site clean-up)
  • Transition issues (from emergency to rehabilitation)
  • Water trucking operations
  • Coordination and Partnerships
  • Disease surveillance

Do you want us to tailor this training for your organisation? Visit our Customised Training page for more information.

Course Fees

Full rate: AUD $3,350
Early bird rates from: AUD $3,050

Inclusions: All food, accommodation and training materials for six days and five nights. Travel to and from the venue is not included.

Course fees are in Australian dollars and can be paid in full via credit card through our secure payment facility. Organisations are able to request to receive an invoice. 

Further instructions regarding course logistics will be provided upon payment of course fees. Full payment of course fees is required prior to attendance.

Essential Course Information

Training Times

Registration takes place from 0900hrs on the first day of all courses. To receive your course certificate you must complete the entire course.

Travel

Please arrange your own travel to and from our training venues. Accommodation is included in the course fee.

Travel insurance is recommended for all applicants and is mandatory for international participants.

Pre-course Learning

It is strongly recommended that you complete the prescribed reading and online module before course commencement. We will send you pre-reading approximately two weeks prior to the course.

Please refer to your course orientation guide, received upon enrolment, for more detailed essential course information.