Chapter 4. Emergency Simulation: Humanitarian Engineering Field Exercise
Dr Bryann Avendaño-Uribe and Dr Fabio Silveira
Learning Objectives
In this chapter, you will:
- Understand how to set up a water treatment system during a simulated humanitarian intervention, with attention to health and safety.
- Develop the knowledge needed to design water-sourcing, treatment, and safe distribution systems in humanitarian settings, using relevant technical foundations such as pump theory, basic plumbing, and electrical safety.
- Distinguish some lessons on leadership and team management during a crisis, useful for humanitarian intervention settings.
Introduction
In this chapter, you will be introduced to the Emergency Simulation Exercise, developed at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. This activity is a central part of the foundational course in Humanitarian Engineering, which also forms a core requirement of the Diploma in Global Humanitarian Engineering (DipGlobalHumanEng) [1]. Although this exercise was created and designed for engineering students, it can be replicated and adapted to train other participants, such as practitioners, humanitarian professionals, trainee volunteers, and humanitarian workers.
The simulation is designed to provide you with both conceptual knowledge and practical skills to operate as a humanitarian engineer in a crisis environment. It combines classroom learning with hands-on workshops where you will gain the experience required to establish emergency water systems. However, here you will focus on theory and practice for sourcing, treating, and distributing water, applying your learning in a realistic field scenario. Lessons from our experience will be presented at the end of the chapter, along with key takeaways for participants and lessons learnt for facilitators who might want to replicate this exercise in different contexts to train volunteers or professionals to be deployed in humanitarian work with similar challenges.
The heart of the exercise is a team challenge: to design and implement a viable drinking-water supply system for a fictional emergency. To make the learning environment authentic, you will spend part of the week living in a temporary camp, setting up your own shelter, and working under conditions similar to those engineers face in the field. In this way, by the end of the week, you will not only have strengthened your technical abilities but also developed the critical communication skills required for humanitarian work, teamwork to address a challenge, and leadership skills that underpin effective humanitarian practice. These are the foundations of effective humanitarian practice and the qualities that will help you succeed in both this course and future professional challenges.
Emergency simulation
The emergency simulation is a fictional scenario in which you face a critical situation after a disaster caused by a natural hazard, and your task is to develop an emergency water supply system. This system must demonstrate a clear understanding of field health and safety, the identification and planning of water sources, the design of treatment and storage facilities, and the calculations required to meet water demand and distribution under simulated conditions.
You will begin by setting up a temporary camp to practice essential skills in safety, coordination, and site planning. The focus then shifts to water treatment: conducting coagulation and flocculation tests on turbid river water (See Chapter 3) and scaling up your results to larger systems. You will also operate pumps, lay out hoses, and measure water flows in real conditions. You and your team will pump, chlorinate, filter, and distribute more than 8,000 litres of safe drinking water. Let´s start!
Format of exercise
Day 1. Site set-up and familiarisation: Participants establish a temporary operation base at a selected location (e.g., Ilam Gardens, in the case of the University of Canterbury, it is next to the Campus), including an air shelter, exclusion zones, and identification of boreholes. Emphasis is placed on planning, safety, and coordination, all critical skills in disaster environments.
Day 2. Water quality and treatment exercise (See Chapter 3 for procedures): Identify a water source from the selected location. A turbid river water is treated in onion tanks using coagulants. Teams test samples to determine dosage and effectiveness, practicing rapid scaling of lab results to field conditions.
Day 3. Group tasks: Participants pump groundwater and treated surface water into pillow tanks, apply chlorination, and operate a filtration system (e.g., SkyHydrant filtration system). Final water quality tests for E. coli (Escherichia coli), nitrates, and chlorine ensure safety before distribution, three main groups: (a) Water pumping team, (b) Groundwater treatment and distribution teams, (c) Surface water treatment and distribution team.
Day 4. Debriefings: (a) Debriefing on the exercise by groups, and (b) Dismantle the camp and return equipment.
Exercise 1: Emergency Scenario – Example of Christchurch Earthquake Response
Scenario
A 6.5 magnitude earthquake has just rocked the city of Christchurch. Buildings have crumbled, roads are blocked, and the familiar hum of daily life has fallen silent. The municipal water network lies in ruins: pipelines fractured by liquefaction, pumping stations offline due to power outages, and treatment plants damaged beyond immediate repair. The Avon River, once a scenic ribbon through the city, is now contaminated with sewage from broken pipes. In the chaos, thousands of residents have been displaced. Evacuation centres at Hagley Park and Ilam Fields are overflowing, while smaller community hubs in Riccarton and the CBD struggle to cope. Your team of humanitarian engineers has been called in to respond to the most urgent crisis of all: providing safe drinking water to those affected in the evacuation shelter of Ilam Fields.
Your task is daunting. The population you are serving numbers around 200 people: children, the elderly, families, and international students, all of whom need water to survive. Resources are scarce: Every drop must be counted, every priority carefully weighed. As you survey the scene from your temporary base at Ilam Gardens, the challenges become clear. Roads are blocked by debris, generator fuel is limited, and ongoing aftershocks make access to some areas dangerous. Groundwater bores nearby could provide a water source, but the risk of contamination with E. coli or nitrates is high. You and your team begin by assessing hazards. Safety is your priority. Then comes the technical challenge: designing a water distribution system that ensures everyone meets the minimum survival needs while giving special attention to vulnerable groups: infants, children, the elderly, and those with limited mobility.
Water must be treated before it is safe to drink. Portable filtration units, chlorination, and simple coagulation techniques become your tools. Storage tanks, onion tanks, and pillow tanks are available, and distribution points need to be set up to ensure equitable and safe access. Temporary evacuation shelter residents will rely on the distribution system that you design. Decisions must balance technical feasibility, resource availability, and humanitarian values like dignity and inclusion. Every day is a test of your team’s coordination and leadership. Roles rotate: the technical lead calculates treatment dosages, the logistics officer manages transport and storage, the safety officer monitors risks, and the communications lead ensures residents understand rationing plans (there must be people around your working area asking for results or curious about “what are you doing”; make sure you plan for it!).
Your outcome and deadline
At the end of the week, your team presents the emergency water supply plan report to local authorities, some representatives of the temporary shelter community, and humanitarian coordinators. You must explain how your emergency water system works, how it was planned and designed, how vulnerable populations were prioritised, and how you maximized safety and dignity despite severe limitations. In this simulation, every litre counts, and every decision carries weight. Reflecting on the exercise, ethical considerations and questions arise: Who leads, how, and when? How did you make difficult choices under scarcity? Which trade-offs were unavoidable, and how did teamwork help overcome them? How did your design uphold humanitarian principles while meeting the essential needs of survival?
Simulation
1. Background
I. Location: The exercise site is located on the northern edge of Ilam fields, approximately 150 metres to the west, in a small opening in the trees and gardens.
II. Hazards: Playing fields immediately to the north, and the Avon River is located in a depression approximately 60 metres to the south.
III. Restricting factors: This is a public area with footpaths, people walking with children and animals.
IV. Toilet facilities: Portaloo nearby.
2. Situation
As part of its annual review of the University of Canterbury’s emergency management plan, the Vice-Chancellor has requested the 2024 Field Engineering Group to establish an alternative potable water supply in the event of a major natural catastrophe, in which the Christchurch public water supply to the University of Canterbury is rendered non-operational. An initial assessment of potential water sources has been carried out on the university estate. A cluster of wells has been identified on the northern edge of Ilam Fields, drilled during a driller’s conference in the 1980s. One well, M35/5557, is currently used for irrigating the Homestead gardens, while the other 5 wells are unused. Among these, M35/5560 is the largest diameter well and has been identified as a possible source. The Avon River has been identified as another source. Of particular interest to the emergency management unit is the potential capacity for an emergency water supply from this location.
3. Mission
Your mission is to establish a safe potable water supply in the vicinity of well M35/5560 and test its viability as an emergency water supply for the University and the surrounding neighbourhood for one week of continuous operation.
4. Execution
Concept of the operation. Water will be pumped from well M35/5660 into two 1200 L onion tanks using a submersible pump or another available alternative. The water will be chlorinated and then pumped into two (2) 5,000-L pillow tanks. Two parallel distribution systems will be implemented. Two further distribution systems will be established, using Skyhydrant and Avon River water as sources.
5. Tasks
The operation will involve the following tasks:
I. Establish and secure the site, including the erection of a 9m x 4m Airshelter
II. A 6” submersible pump will be lowered into well M35/5560
III. A pump test will be carried out until clean water is discharged
IV. A disinfection plant will be established using 2x 1200-L onion tanks
V. A distribution system using 2x 5,000-L soft pillow tanks, elevated Pak Flat tanks, and pumps.
VI. An alternative distribution system using the Skyhydrant and River Avon as the source will be established
VII. A water quality lab will be established in the Airshelter
6. Teams
The four teams have been allocated, and an exercise leader and logistics officer have been appointed. Teams will be rotated throughout the exercise. The pumping team will be re-tasked to a surface water team: 1x pumping team, 2x groundwater treatment and distribution teams, 1x surface water treatment and distribution team.
7. Factors
The following factors will need to be considered in setting up the exercise site:
I. Site reconnaissance (this should include locating the well, removing the manhole cover, and measuring the depth of the well, depth to water, and identification of possible obstructions)
II. Secure and establish the site
III. Set up pumping, treatment, and distribution systems
IV. logistics: transport, movement of materials (including three-phase generator – not in 2024)
8. Deliverables
You will need to:
I. Develop an operational plan in order to quantify the capacity of your water supply operation
II. Provide water quality data pre- and post-treatment
III. Identify the limiting components of your implementation, and
IV. Make recommendations with particular regard to water quality, efficiency, maintenance, and up-scaling, and provision of sanitation and promotion of hygiene.
9. Materials and equipment
Safety first: Health and Safety in the field
Field work, especially in emergency water operations, can be unpredictable. Before stepping into any site, it is important to pause and put safety first. Many hazards may be present, including unstable structures, contaminated water, changing weather, and road traffic. Being aware of these risks makes a significant difference to how safely and confidently the team can work. Good safety practice begins long before anyone arrives in the field. It starts with preparation, communication, and a clear understanding of what could go wrong and how to avoid it.
Planning the activity helps ensure that risks are properly assessed and that the right personal protective equipment (PPE) is available. A thorough risk assessment looks not only at what the hazards are but also at what could happen if no controls are applied. This includes considering the likelihood of the hazard occurring and its possible consequences. Together, these factors form the overall risk rating. Once controls are selected, whether through adjusting the work process, placing barriers, or removing the hazard entirely, it is essential to check how effective these measures are. Calculating the residual risk rating shows how much the risk has been reduced. It also helps determine whether the hazard has been minimised, isolated, or eliminated.
Because field conditions can change quickly, the field activity plan must be treated as a living document. Weather, equipment condition, site access, and environmental factors can all influence risk throughout the day. Staying alert and reassessing the situation when needed helps everyone maintain a safe working environment.
A practical and flexible approach to health and safety benefits the entire team. It protects people from harm, reduces stress, and supports smoother and more successful field operations. With careful planning, awareness of changing conditions, and consistent application of safety measures, field activities can be completed safely and efficiently.
Health & Safety questions to ask before starting:
I. Where is the closest toilet facility located (if any)?
II. Closest water supply. Is water safe for drinking? If not, are we taking enough water for the length of the field activity? Better to take the surplus.
III. Weather-related (e.g., Is it too cold? Is it too warm? Do the team have enough and appropriate clothing?)
IV. Is there any hazard that the team should be aware of? (e.g., landslide, torrential rain, unsafe water supply, etc.)
V. Was the weather forecast checked? If the weather is not suitable for this work, consider postponing the activity.
VI. Is the neighbourhood aware of and welcoming the activity? Is it unsafe to be outside the working area? Is the working area safe? Walking in pairs can be a good idea to minimise risks.
VII. Do we need any type of PPE? List them, make sure the team has them, and they will bring them along.
VIII. Equipment hazards (e.g., fuel for pumps can be a big hazard; is it stored in an appropriate container? Is it away from the source of heat and electrical ignition?
IX. What sort of equipment do we need? Do we have all the tools we need? It is important to have a team leader, a person in charge of the activity. This person will lead the activity and can delegate tasks to ensure it runs smoothly.
X. In case of emergency, what to do and where to go? Important to have this sorted before any field activity.
XI. Let people know where you would be, for how long, and when you will be back;
XII. Is everyone trained to perform the duty? If not, why come along? Make sure everyone in the team knows their tasks and limitations. If people are not trained, consider a training session before the field activity.
XIII. Does anyone have any health issues? It is important to disclose this for the team leader to take appropriate precautions if needed.
Best location for an air shelter:
The following are some considerations to identify where to set up the air shelter:
I. Slope: better to have it on flat ground.
II. Ground: structure sound ground to secure an air shelter. It is also important to imagine that in case of rain, would the air shelter area be “flooded” or not? What about wind? Animals?
III. Activity: an air shelter is multi-purpose, during the day for activities and at night to sleep. It should be a safe space for our activity and for sleeping.
IV. Access: who has access to it? During activities and overnight? Is it close to where the activities will take place?
V. Amendments: The team should have access to a toilet, water, rest, etc.
VI. Are there any first aiders in the group? Do we have a first aid kit?
Important questions for participants:
I. Before doing a field activity, why is planning the most important part of it?
II. Who is responsible for our safety? Remember the acronym M-U-S-T (Me, Us, and Then).
III. Once the field activity is made, is it a finalised document or should we update it when a new hazard is discovered, or there are changes to existing hazards?
Additional H&S resources, such as university regulations, can provide meaningful context and guidance for fieldwork. For example, the University of Canterbury offers detailed ‘Regulations for Working and Teaching in the Field,’ which outline requirements for health and safety, as well as ethical conduct, during field activities. Reviewing such resources can help ensure that all participants are aware of best practices and institutional expectations when engaging in field-based humanitarian engineering projects.
Exercise 2: Hazard and Risk Mapping
Objective: Strengthen participants’ ability to identify and manage risks in field settings.
Activity:
1. In small groups, participants create a hazard map for a simulated camp site (e.g., a Map of a specific location (Ilam Gardens) or a fictional flood-affected area).
2. Identify potential hazards (e.g., trip hazards, water contamination points, unsafe electrical setups, flood-prone areas).
3. Propose mitigation strategies and document them on a standard risk management form (See examples).
Discussion:
a) Which hazards were most overlooked by your group?
b) How do time pressure and limited resources affect risk awareness?
Identifying and planning water sources
Water is the most critical resource in an emergency, but not all sources are safe or reliable. Here, you will explore how to identify potential water sources, including rivers, groundwater, and rainwater, and how to evaluate their quantity, quality, and accessibility. This section helps you plan which sources to use, how to protect them, and how to prioritise them based on the population´s needs and the available resources.
The easiest water source to find is surface water, which can be easily spotted and located as a stream, river, or lake. Sometimes vegetation and landscape help locate this water source, but given easy access and visibility, it could also be contaminated by human and animal activities. The closest water comes from a spring, reducing the risk of contamination. Once the water source is located, the team should be able to use it to fulfil their short-term water needs. In tropical areas with high rainfall, rainwater can be a readily available water source, but it’s hard to forecast and rely on it daily. Groundwater can be the most reliable water source, as the ground acts as a filter and is generally safer to drink than surface water. However, access to groundwater can be difficult if a bore is not in place, which could be a medium- to long-term water supply.
Introduction to Pumps
Pumps are machines that create pressure and flow to move fluids, such as water, from one location to another. Pumps are essential because most WASH interventions require moving water from one source to the final use, such as extracting groundwater or moving river water. Humanitarian engineers must possess a fundamental understanding of pump operation and safety [2].
The most essential pump is the centrifugal pump, which uses centrifugal force through the impeller to move water. The centrifuge pump uses centrifugal force to move fluid from one location to another. Commercial pumps typically have two parts: the engine, which powers the pump by rotating the impeller (electric, petrol-fuelled, or other means), and the pump part itself. The engine will make the pump rotate, but it is not considered the pump itself. The pump part has three main components: inlet, impeller, and discharge [See Figure 1].
Figure 1. Schematic overview of an electric centrifugal water pump. Isometric cutaway and frontal cross-section views showing the main components and flow path of an electric centrifugal pump. The diagram illustrates how rotational energy from the motor is transferred to the impeller, which, through centrifugal force, moves water from the inlet to the outlet.
Exercise 3: Hydraulic principles ni the field.
Objective: Connect theory to practice by applying hydraulic principles in the field.
Scenario: You are part of a humanitarian engineering team responding to a flood emergency in Christchurch. You need to supply clean water from the Waimakariri River to a temporary water storage tank at a nearby evacuation centre.
Given:
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Distance from river to tank: 60 meters
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Elevation difference: 12 meters
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Pipe friction loss: 6 meters
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Velocity head: negligible
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Available pumps: 3 identical pumps, each with:
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Max head: 18 meters
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Max flow: 12 L/s
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Tasks:
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Calculate the total head required to pump water to the tank.
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Determine whether a single pump is sufficient to meet the required head and flow.
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Decide how to connect two pumps if the goal is to:
a. Increase the water flow to 24 L/s
b. Pump to a higher elevation of 25 m -
Draw a simple diagram showing your pump configuration (series or parallel), the river, and the tank.
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Explain your reasoning: Why did you choose series or parallel? How does it affect the head and flow?
QUIZ 1
Scenario: You are part of a humanitarian engineering team pumping water from the Waimakariri River to a temporary storage tank serving 200 people, using two identical pumps connected in parallel (12 L/s each, 18 m head).
Task: After one pump fails, calculate the new flow rate and determine whether the remaining pump can meet the Sphere minimum standard of 15 L per person per day. Then, using a portable pump and lay-flat hose, measure the time to fill a 100 L container at different pump pressures, calculate the flow rates, and plot flow versus pressure. Compare results across groups and discuss variability caused by factors like hose kinks, uneven terrain, or operator differences, reflecting on how uncertainties in field measurements affect design decisions and what strategies could ensure reliable water delivery under real humanitarian conditions.
Designing the setting for water treatment and storage
Once water sources are identified, water must be treated and stored safely before distribution. Designing the layout of treatment systems and storage points is crucial to ensuring hygiene and accessibility. Some practical considerations regarding space, equipment placement, and water flow are necessary for the system to work effectively in a real emergency setting.
There are many ways to store water, and the best solution depends on the type of water to be stored and the availability of storage space. Water before treatment may contain sediments, organic matter, and other materials that can easily accumulate in pools, lakes, and other reservoirs, allowing sedimentation and settling of particles, pollutants, etc. There is no need to make them highly secure, given that treatment has not yet been performed.
Water collected for treatment will undergo coagulation/flocculation to remove total suspended solids and lower turbidity, ideally to below 5 NTU (source needed), and will then be disinfected through chlorination. The more suspended solids in water, the more chlorine will be required to disinfect it. This will impact taste, odour, and treatment costs.
Once the water has gone through treatment and is potable, ready to drink, the storage should be more secure and avoid cross-contamination from sources such as air, soil, animals, etc., and especially from the piping network through holes, leaks, or cross-contamination. Furthermore, this water should be readily available when needed while maintaining its quality. The suggestion of an elevated place, such as tanks on top of builds or houses, are excellent locations because it would minimise contact with people, animals and contaminants while the gravity will delivery water to lower points without much problem and even if there is a power outage (in case pumps are run by electricity) or lack of fuel (in case of engine fuelled pump).
In the case of villages, it is crucial to consider how many people would rely on this water to design/have water storage sufficient for the whole population. For example, in South America, a 1 m³ household water tank is the most commonly used storage option.
More exercises and hands-on activities to develop additional skills for humanitarian interventions, such as basic carpentry, electrical and metal safety, and plumbing, can be found in the textbook’s Appendices (See Appendix 3).
Calculations for water demand and distribution
Calculations and planning must always be the first step, although they are presented later here for pedagogical purposes, as the topic was introduced in Chapter 3. Calculations should be carried out even before planning the system settings, since the goals need to be established before implementing any procedure. Once water is treated, stored, and prepared for distribution, it is essential to calculate the supply ratio and frequency to ensure that the population’s water demand is consistently met in line with Sphere standards (see Chapter 3).
Some final considerations are:
– Match treatment to demand: Ensure treatment, storage, and distribution systems are sized to meet both daily needs and peak usage.
– Plan for reliability and equity: Consider not only the total volume but also the frequency of supply, accessibility for vulnerable groups, and cultural appropriateness of distribution.
– Avoid underestimating demand: A standard error is calculated only for survival-level needs, overlooking hygiene, cooking, and cultural practices that also require water.
– Prevent overestimating capacity: Another mistake is assuming treatment and pumping systems can operate continuously without breakdowns, leading to unrealistic plans.
– Underestimating water demand directly impacts the health and dignity of a community. When engineers miscalculate the amount of water needed, it can lead to rationing and shortages, forcing people to choose between essential needs like drinking, cooking, and hygiene. This lack of access can lead to health problems, especially among vulnerable groups.
– Placing water access points far from vulnerable groups. Doing so disproportionately burdens the elderly, disabled, and children, and can put individuals at risk. Equitable design requires placing resources where they are most needed and accessible to everyone.
– Humanitarian engineers have a core ethical responsibility to anticipate and avoid unintended harm. This means taking the time to fully understand a community’s needs, including their social and cultural practices, before designing a solution.
– Finding a balance between the urgent need for a solution and the long-term goal. Designing under pressure doesn’t excuse a lack of foresight.
QUIZ 2
Scenario: After severe flooding in rural Cambodia, 5,000 people are living in a temporary camp. A humanitarian team has drafted a water plan that calculates only 7.5 litres per person per day, assumes a single pump and chlorination unit will run continuously without failure, and places the main storage tank on a hill requiring a 20-minute uphill walk for residents.
Task: Based on this scenario, answer the following: (1) What mistake did the team make in calculating water demand? (2) Why is assuming continuous pump operation unrealistic? (3) What ethical issue arises from placing the tank uphill? (4) Suggest one improvement to make the plan more accurate and one to make it more ethical.
Notes on leadership and team management during crisis: Leading under pressure
In humanitarian interventions, you always work with a team, because even when you are deployed alone, the community becomes your team. At its core, humanitarian engineering is a people-centred engineering approach with the primary goal of improving the quality of life for marginalised and disadvantaged communities. It combines technical expertise with participatory design (See Chapter 2) to co-create appropriate technologies that enhance well-being and resilience. However, you cannot commit to this goal if you are out of your mind, do not know how to lead yourself during a crisis, or respond to pressure; therefore, you cannot lead others, nor can you lead the community or your team. Sometimes, no action is the best you can do. Sometimes, only facilitating community action is enough. Sometimes, you need to take responsibility and do what others cannot. Sometimes, your team has no energy, and it is better to wait, recharge, or work on their well-being first before they continue helping others [3].
Case study: The Armero Tragedy in Colombia*
On November 13, 1985, Colombia experienced a situation that, tragically but aptly, illustrates the effects of a lack of communication during emergencies: a volcano that had been dormant for almost 70 years in the department of Tolima erupted. The disaster was caused by pyroclastic material, including ash and lava, which, along with landslides triggered by the magnitude of the earth’s movement, literally buried the town of Armero [4].
This catastrophe is known as “the Armero tragedy.” But the volcano’s eruption itself wasn’t a tragedy until it caused human deaths, damage to physical infrastructure, landscape displacement, biodiversity loss, and changes to the local ecosystems. In this instance, what was truly a disaster was that despite the scientific bodies responsible for monitoring the volcano having warned the regional and national governments for months about the need to evacuate and take immediate action to prevent this catastrophe, the government did nothing! As a result, almost 80% of the population living in the area and its surroundings died, and material losses were estimated at 6 billion dollars.
This disaster transformed vulcanology forever, along with the lives of millions of families and the disaster response in Colombia. However, it has sadly not changed how governments respond to what scientists have been warning about, nor has it influenced how current governments prioritise measures to reduce communities’ vulnerability to potential hazards. It has also not led to sufficient planning measures to prepare the population for an emergency.
*Adapted and translated to English from [4], original story [5].
Play Video to learn more about this story:
Video 3: Armero, the forgotten Colombian city destroyed by a volcano
Teamwork requires sharing roles, trusting each other, and adapting to changing conditions. In particular, the role of engineers in responding to humanitarian crises requires them to prioritise their own well-being and ensure their basic needs are met; otherwise, their actions can be more harmful than helpful when saving lives. Therefore, a team needs to engage with affected communities to ensure that interventions are socially and culturally appropriate, equitable, and sustainable (see Chapter 1).
Humanitarian engineering is most effective when communities are not passive recipients but active co-creators of solutions. Once basic needs and constraints are identified, engineers should facilitate brainstorming with the community to generate ideas, prototypes, and implementation steps collaboratively. This shared process ensures that the community has ownership over both the design and delivery of interventions. Equally important is building capacity for maintenance and troubleshooting, so that systems remain functional long after external support ends. Engineers must balance their technical knowledge with humility, learning from the skills communities already possess, while teaching practical methods that strengthen local capacity. A successful humanitarian engineering solution is often low-tech. It’s more effective to implement a solution that answers most of a community’s needs and is simple enough for them to maintain over time, rather than a high-tech solution that addresses every single question but is too complex to operate and sustain. Ultimately, the goal is to empower the community to collectively decide, build, implement, and own their solution alongside the humanitarian engineer.
A key strategy for effective teamwork is journaling. Keeping systematic notes and integrating them into a collective record of thoughts and work can create momentum for ideation and brainstorming. It is also essential to maintain an individual practice: in humanitarian interventions, engineers should keep personal notes, sketch ideas, and record simple questions to ask communities. These notes help generate ideas collaboratively while retaining personal reflection. Journaling becomes especially crucial when working in teams: team journals allow for debriefing at the end of activities, ensuring that everyone is aware of what happened, leaders clearly designate roles, and the group stays on the same page. Regular briefings and debriefings about ongoing and upcoming tasks help maintain clarity and alignment across the team [3].
How to Journal:
- Be Consistent. Write every day, ideally at the same time.
- Reflect on the day’s activities, emotions, and lessons.
– Try always to use the same structure: Follow prompts: What happened today?, Reflect, Turn to learn, What I will do tomorrow.
– Address key themes: challenges, skills gained, and emotional responses.
– Be Honest: Write openly about your thoughts and feelings.
– Document both successes and areas where you struggled.
- Set Goals: Use journaling to plan actions for improvement.
Exercise 4: Team Leadership Rotation
Objective: Develop teamwork and leadership in dynamic, high-pressure conditions.
Activity:
- Over a half-day simulation, rotate leadership roles among group members (logistics, safety officer, technical lead, communications).
- Each leader must coordinate their team during setup, treatment, and distribution.
- At the end, teams debrief on leadership challenges and successes.
Reflection:
a) How did leadership styles differ across rotations?
b) What behaviours supported team morale and efficiency?
Reflection Journal Prompts:
At the end of the field week, participants write a journal entry addressing:
a) What technical skill did I gain confidence in this week?
b) What mistake or challenge taught me the most, and why?
c) How did my understanding of dignity and community participation change through the exercise?
d) How do I see myself contributing to humanitarian engineering in the future?
Reflective Journal
Objective:
To reflect on daily learnings, challenges, and achievements during the Humanitarian Field Engineering course.
Exercise Overview:
Take 15-20 minutes to reflect on and write about your day in your course journal. Always set a time and place to make it a habit during the week. These four questions will guide your reflection towards you as a future professional humanitarian engineering team member. Also, it will help you with future reporting and the learning process of this course and other professional contexts. You will submit your journal for assessment at the end of the course.
I. The facts: What happened today?
Describe the key events, activities, or interactions during the day. What specific tasks or roles did you engage in during the course today?
II. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly:
How did today’s experiences make you feel? Try to think of at least two moments (good and less comfortable) or any other circumstances or moments that stood out emotionally. Consider how these experiences influenced your understanding of your role within a team (or future member of a humanitarian intervention).
III. Turn to learn:
What was the most important skill or insight gained in today’s experience, and how does it relate to your future role as a humanitarian engineer?
IV. Anticipating challenges: What will I do tomorrow?
Based on today’s experiences, what would you like to improve or change in your approach for tomorrow? How will you apply today’s learning to enhance your effectiveness and contribute to the team?
Bonus: What potential challenges do you foresee for tomorrow’s tasks? How will you prepare to address them, and what strategies will you use to manage any obstacles?
You can include any other observations or insights that interest you in your daily reflection. Pay attention not only to the intellectual learnings but also to the emotions you experience.
Assessment Criteria:
✓ Completeness of reflection.
✓ Demonstrated ability to reflect on and learn from the course activities.
Note to participants: The lightning talks are short, focused presentations designed to convey key ideas, innovations, or challenges in a concise and engaging way. Typically lasting no more than five minutes, these talks encourage speakers to communicate clearly and efficiently, often using a few slides or simple visuals. The goal is to spark interest, stimulate discussion, and share knowledge quickly among peers. The lightning talks in humanitarian engineering provide a platform for participants to highlight new solutions, share field experiences, or introduce emerging issues. Topics and guidelines for lightning talks can be explored in the appendices (See Appendix 3).
Key Takeaways
- In humanitarian work, knowing when to act—and when not to is just as important as taking action. Sometimes your role is to facilitate, sometimes to lead, and sometimes the best contribution is supporting your team’s energy and well-being before tackling the task at hand.
- Operating pumps: Head is how high a pump can lift water; flow rate is how much water moves. Pumps in series increase head; pumps in parallel increase flow. Always compare the required head and flow with the pump capacity before designing a system.
Note for educators, facilitators, or professionals in the field:
Below is a ten-point decalogue of practical advice for anyone wanting to replicate the Emergency Water Simulation Exercise with participants, whether they are students, professional trainees, or humanitarian volunteers.
1. Make safety a continuous process
Treat safety as ongoing, not a one‑off checklist. Build in repeated risk assessments, PPE checks, hazard reviews, and emergency plans throughout the exercise.
2. Use realistic constraints, not fancy technology
Prioritise authenticity over complexity. Limited resources, weather, fatigue, public spaces, and uncertainty are what drive deep learning.
3. Link theory and practice immediately
Teach concepts such as pump head, flow, and water quality, then apply them immediately in the field. Avoid separating theoretical and practical content during fieldwork.
4. Rotate roles to build systems thinking
Rotate participants through roles such as technical lead, logistics, safety, and communications so participants experience how all parts of a response are interconnected. It will also support the regulation of logistics and exchange lessons when different participants assume different roles, fostering cross-fertilisation of ideas and experiences.
5. Embed ethics in technical work
Design the exercise so participants (students/professional trainees/humanitarian volunteers, etc.) must face trade-offs among equity, dignity, prioritising vulnerable groups, and access, not just technical performance. Challenge character education and ethical concerns during the deployment exercise.
6. Teach through failure and limitations
Assume pumps fail, fuel runs out, shelters do not work, and measurements vary. And actually, that is all fine! Because that is what can happen in the real situation, not only during simulation. Make planning for redundancy and dealing with imperfect systems a core outcome.
7. Treat public interaction as part of the task
Require participants to communicate with non‑engineers (bystanders, community members, stakeholders) while working under time and performance pressure.
8. Plan water demand around dignity, not just survival
Include hygiene, cooking, and culturally adapted practices that align with the local cultural norms, not just drinking needs. Make participants justify their assumptions and consider the impact of under‑provision.
9. Protect time for reflection and debriefing
Make structured journaling, daily reflections, and debriefs central to the exercise. This is where much of the learning is consolidated. Documenting is key to progress and reinforcing lessons.
10. Centre community participation in engineering success
Leadership is trained, not learned. Define success as solutions that are co‑created, understandable, and maintainable by the community. Emphasise humility, local knowledge, and simple, robust systems over complex, fragile ones.
And finally, almost as important as keeping the rigour of the exercise: have lots of fun!
References:
[1] M. Hughes and B. Bello-Mendoza, Humanitarian Engineering Field Course: HUMENG301, course materials, Univ. of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
[2] B. Nesbitt, Handbook of Pumps and Pumping. London, U.K.: Elsevier, 2006.
[3] B. E. Avendaño-Uribe, M. Carranza, A. Gonzales, and G. Vallejo, Lideroamerica: Leadership Lessons from Latin America. Washington, DC, USA: Global Competitiveness Leadership Program, Georgetown Univ., 2019.
[4] B. E. Avendaño-Uribe, “Avoidable disasters: the importance of communication between scientists and governments,” Revista de Divulgación PESQUISA, Bogotá, Colombia. [Online]. Available: https://www.javeriana.edu.co/pesquisa/desastre-evitable/
[5] B. Voight, “The 1985 Nevado del Ruiz volcano catastrophe,” Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, vol. 42, no. 1–2, pp. 1–51, 1990, doi: 10.1016/0377-0273(90)90075-Q.
About the authors
name: Dr Bryann Avendaño-Uribe
institution: University of Canterbury
website: https://oer.pressbooks.pub/humanitarian-engineering/front-matter/about-the-editor/
name: Dr Fabio Silveira
institution: University of Canterbury
website: https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/about-uc/contact-us/staff-directory/fabio-silveira
Dr Fabio Silveira is a Field and Environmental Engineering technician at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical and Process Engineering from the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil, and Master’s and PhD degrees in Civil Engineering, specialising in stormwater quality, from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. Fabio’s research focuses on improving water quality by deepening understanding of stormwater systems, wetlands, and water resource management. His work combines both academic and practical experience, including roles as a teaching assistant, research assistant, and contributions to local government projects. His PhD aims to provide scientific knowledge that addresses stormwater treatment using engineered wetlands and supports sustainable solutions for maintaining water quality. After gaining experience in the pharmaceutical industry with Novartis and working in earthquake repair and reinforcement projects in Christchurch, he was inspired to pursue advanced studies in water quality and environmental engineering after a 6-month trip around South America, where he noticed the biggest water resources in major cities were mainly used as rubbish and sewage dumps. Fabio is motivated by the opportunity to translate research into tangible improvements for the environment and the communities around us.
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