Irrigation Modernisation and Dam Safety Oversight in Tbilisi

Programme Overview

Ageing hydraulic infrastructure across Central Asia requires urgent modernisation to counter water scarcity, operational inefficiencies, and escalating climate risks.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌⁣ This intensive five-day programme in Tbilisi provides engineers and technical officers with advanced competencies in modernising irrigation networks and enforcing rigorous dam safety oversight. Participants examine international engineering practices for hydraulic structure rehabilitation, service-oriented canal automation, and institutional surveillance frameworks, ensuring that regional water storage assets and off-farm conveyance networks perform reliably under changing hydrological regimes.

The curriculum addresses the twin challenges of infrastructure decay and inefficient water distribution through structured technical modules. Participants evaluate geotechnical, structural, and hydrological stability parameters for earth-fill and concrete dams, drawing upon recognised standards such as ICOLD guidelines. Concurrently, the course covers modern canal lining techniques, flow measurement instrumentation, and telemetry-driven supervisory control architectures that minimise conveyance losses. Practical exercises emphasize asset management principles that bridge high-level basin planning with field-level scheme operation.

Delivered through applied case studies, technical diagnostic reviews, and peer-to-peer engineering exchanges, this training equips technical specialists to prepare actionable intervention plans for their home basins. Participants develop functional engineering protocols covering emergency action plans, instrumented structural monitoring schedules, and preventative drainage maintenance regimes. The programme enables public water agencies and project implementation personnel to deliver bankable, durable engineering solutions that meet the operational criteria of international financing institutions.

Water management authorities in Central Asia face mounting pressure from glacier retreat, irregular precipitation patterns, and deteriorating Soviet-era hydraulic assets.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌⁣ Large-scale public investments, such as the US$100m Climate Resilient Water Services Project, demand heightened technical capacity to upgrade off-farm irrigation networks, automate bulk delivery, and manage dam failure risks. Adopting modern engineering standards, systematic safety surveillance, and transparent operational protocols is critical to safeguard downstream populations, secure rural livelihoods, and meet strict international lender covenants.

Delivered by Risalat Consultants International in Tbilisi, Georgia, it combines expert-led sessions, real cases and group work, so that participants can apply what they learn in their own institution.

The Programme Strengthens Institutional Capability

• Assessment of legacy conveyance infrastructure: Diagnostics, capacity audits, and structural degradation
• Modern canal lining technologies: Geosynthetics, shotcrete, and composite sealing membranes
• Modular flow control structures: Overshot gates, proportional dividers, and energy dissipators
• Hydraulic design for sediment exclusion and siltation management in off-farm canals
• Engineering economic appraisal of canal modernisation options and conveyance efficiency gains
• Discharge measurement technologies: Acoustic Doppler meters, flumes, and calibrated weirs
• Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) architectures for bulk distribution systems
• Automated gate actuators and solar-powered field telemetry units (RTUs)
• Fraud risk assessment and fraud risk registers
• Design and testing of internal controls
• The Three Lines model and the role of oversight
• Audit planning, evidence and documentation

It is designed for civil and hydraulic engineers from national water agencies, project Implementation Unit (PIU) technical specialists and procurement engineers, dam safety inspection and surveillance department officers and others who want practical, current skills in fraud, audit and internal control.

The Growing Importance of Irrigation Modernisation and Dam Safety Oversight in Tbilisi

Public bodies and donor-financed projects are expected to show that funds are used for their intended purpose. Auditors, oversight bodies and financiers increasingly look beyond the financial statements to the controls, records and behaviours behind them.

Fraud and control weaknesses rarely come from one failure. They grow where roles are unclear, records are incomplete and warning signs are not followed up. Teams that understand how fraud happens, and how controls stop it, protect both their institution and the people it serves.

Organisations increasingly require professionals capable of:

• Identify and rate fraud and control risks in their own processes
• Design controls that are proportionate and testable
• Gather and document reliable audit evidence
• Recognise red flags early and escalate them correctly
• Turn findings into practical, agreed actions

Strong fraud, audit and internal control systems help organisations:

• Reduce losses and ineligible expenditure
• Pass external audits with fewer findings
• Strengthen trust with financiers and citizens
• Respond to allegations in a fair and documented way

This Irrigation Modernisation and Dam Safety Oversight in Tbilisi programme brings these elements together in a practical format, so that participants understand not only what good practice looks like but also how to introduce it in their own setting, with the people and resources they have.

Who Should Attend This Irrigation Modernisation and Dam Safety Oversight in Tbilisi Training?

This programme is designed for:

• Civil and hydraulic engineers from national water agencies
• Project Implementation Unit (PIU) technical specialists and procurement engineers
• Dam safety inspection and surveillance department officers
• Operations and maintenance managers for large-scale irrigation schemes
• River basin authority technical personnel and hydrologists
• Irrigation and drainage design engineers from state planning institutes
• Technical specialists managing donor-funded water infrastructure portfolios
• Ministry officials responsible for water resources infrastructure policy
• Water User Association technical coordinators and field engineers
• Internal auditors and audit managers
• Finance managers and accountants
• Compliance and risk officers

The programme suits experienced professionals as well as those moving into new responsibilities. Groups that mix institutions and countries are encouraged, because participants learn a great deal from each other’s experience.

Irrigation Modernisation and Dam Safety Oversight in Tbilisi Training Objectives

Upon successful completion of this Irrigation Modernisation and Dam Safety Oversight in Tbilisi Training, participants will be able to:

• Evaluate structural, geotechnical, and hydrological risks in ageing dams using ICOLD international standards and surveillance guidelines
• Design canal rehabilitation strategies incorporating modern lining technologies, modular control structures, and siltation management
• Specify instrumentation and SCADA telemetry systems for real-time water allocation, discharge measurement, and conveyance tracking
• Formulate risk-based preventative maintenance and desilting schedules for extensive off-farm drainage networks
• Draft robust Emergency Preparedness Plans (EPPs) and downstream inundation mapping procedures for high-hazard hydraulic structures
• Apply asset lifecycle management models to prioritise deferred maintenance in large-scale gravity irrigation networks
• Integrate donor technical covenants and environmental and social standards into hydraulic engineering design packages
• Explain how and why fraud happens, using recognised fraud risk models
• Carry out a fraud and control risk assessment for a real process
• Map controls to risks using the Three Lines model

Each objective is practised during the programme through exercises, cases or group work, so that participants leave able to do it, not only to describe it.

Programme Contents and Structure

Irrigation Modernisation and Dam Safety Oversight in Tbilisi Training Methodology

The training employs an applied professional development format blending interactive technical lectures, real-world case analysis from Central Asia and the South Caucasus, and collaborative engineering workshops.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌⁣ Participants work through computational exercises in hydraulic capacity and seepage analysis, review actual dam inspection reports, and utilise structured templates to draft project deliverables. Peer review sessions enable specialists to benchmark institutional practices against international benchmarks and donor compliance standards.

The programme combines:

• Expert-led sessions on current practice
• Regional and international case studies
• Group work and practical exercises
• Simulations and role plays where relevant
• Discussion of participants' own challenges
• Peer learning across institutions and countries
• Practical tools and templates to take back to work
• Daily reflection and action planning

Before the programme, a short pre-assessment helps the facilitators understand each participant’s role and priorities, so that examples and exercises can be adjusted to the group. Each day ends with a short reflection in which participants note what they will apply at work.

Expected Outcomes

Upon completion of this Irrigation Modernisation and Dam Safety Oversight in Tbilisi Training, participants will be able to:

• Ability to execute systematic structural and hydrological safety audits on ageing water storage dams
• Competence in selecting appropriate canal rehabilitation and modernization interventions to improve conveyance efficiency
• Proficiency in specifying telemetry and automated flow measurement instrumentation for off-farm bulk networks
• Completed Dam Safety Operational and Surveillance Protocol tailored to an assigned reservoir asset
• Completed Comprehensive Drainage Maintenance Scheduling Framework for a major river basin district
• Enhanced readiness to deliver technical components for large-scale donor-financed irrigation projects
• Assess fraud and control risks in their own processes
• Design and test proportionate controls

Participants leave with a personal action plan and practical tools they can use in their institution from the first week back. Institutions that send several participants can use the programme to agree shared methods and templates across teams, which makes improvements easier to sustain.

Institutional Application of Irrigation Modernisation and Dam Safety Oversight in Tbilisi Training

This programme supports organisations in strengthening:

• Fraud and corruption risk management
• Internal control frameworks
• Audit and oversight arrangements
• Follow-up of audit findings
• Integrity and reporting channels

Participants return with practical tools to improve:

• Risk registers and control maps
• Audit planning and testing
• Evidence and documentation
• Reporting to management and boards
• Prevention of ineligible expenditure

The programme is built so that learning moves from the classroom into the institution. Participants work on their own processes and documents where possible, and leave with an action plan that their managers can review and support.

Regional Relevance & Application

Europe

European institutions apply fraud, audit and internal control within detailed regulatory frameworks and reform agendas. Participants from Europe can compare their practice with colleagues from other regions and test how established methods work under different conditions.

Africa

Across Africa, ministries, agencies and project teams working in fraud, audit and internal control increasingly operate alongside donor-financed programmes that expect clear systems and evidence. The programme helps participants adapt good practice to the institutions and resources they work with.

Middle East

In the Middle East, national development strategies and diversification plans place growing demands on fraud, audit and internal control. Participants explore how to build the capability these plans need inside public bodies and companies.

Asia

Institutions across Asia combine rapid growth with ambitious modernisation programmes. Participants from Asia can share their experience of scaling systems quickly and learn from approaches used elsewhere.

Pacific

Small island and Pacific states face particular constraints of size, distance and capacity. The programme highlights practical, proportionate approaches to fraud, audit and internal control that suit smaller institutions.

Holding the programme in Tbilisi, Georgia brings participants together away from their daily pressures, so they can compare how fraud, audit and internal control is handled in different settings. The same programme can also be delivered in-house for one institution, in its own country or online, with cases taken from its current work.

Host Country Profile – Georgia

Programmes, Workshops, Exposures, Training Courses in Tbilisi, Georgia by Risalat Consultants International

Studying away from their own country gives participants time to focus, a fresh view of their own institution and the chance to build a network with colleagues from other countries.

Irrigation Modernisation and Dam Safety Oversight in Tbilisi Training Deliverables

Participants receive support before, during and after the programme, so that preparation, learning and follow-up form one continuous experience.

Before the Programme

• Participant Pre-Assessment
• Irrigation Modernisation and Dam Safety Oversight in Tbilisi Readiness Assessment
• Irrigation Modernisation and Dam Safety Oversight in Tbilisi Resource Pack
• Preparatory Reading Materials
• Complimentary Visa Support & Advisory

During the Programme

• Airport Pickup & Welcome Assistance
• Accommodation with Breakfast
• Welcome Networking Dinner
• Risalat Training Kit (Bag, Bottle, Mug, T-Shirt, Cap, Passport Cover, Pens, Notebook, Magnet & Keychain)
• Comprehensive Irrigation Modernisation and Dam Safety Oversight in Tbilisi Training Manual
• Fraud Risk Register Template
• Control Mapping Matrix
• Audit Evidence Checklist
• Findings and Follow-up Tracker
• Practical Workshops & Simulations
• Group Discussions & Peer Learning
• Daily Lunch and Refreshments
• Full Access to Training Venue Facilities
• Mini Pad / Tablet with Digital Learning Materials
• Field Visit (where applicable)
• Entertaining City Tour

After the Programme

• Certificate of Completion
• Risalat Programme Participation Recognition Award
• Post-Training Reference Materials
• Fraud Risk Self-Assessment Guide
• Control Testing Checklist
• Post-Training Support & Follow-Up Guidance
• Programme Report

Institutions can also request a tailored in-house version of this programme, delivered at their premises or online. Request a proposal.

Common Challenges in Irrigation Modernisation and Dam Safety Oversight in Tbilisi, And How This Training Helps

How can institutions identify and rate fraud and control risks in their own processes?

The programme addresses this directly on the first day (Irrigation Scheme Modernisation: Conveyance, Control, and Lining), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions design controls that are proportionate and testable?

The programme addresses this directly on the second day (Instrumentation, Automation, and Telemetric Water Allocation), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions gather and document reliable audit evidence?

The programme addresses this directly on the third day (Dam Safety Oversight: Surveillance, Geotechnics, and Structural Integrity), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions recognise red flags early and escalate them correctly?

The programme addresses this directly on the fourth day (Hydrological Safety, Spillway Capacity, and Emergency Planning), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions turn findings into practical, agreed actions?

The programme addresses this directly on the fifth day (Drainage Maintenance Scheduling, Asset Management, and Implementation), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where does the Irrigation Modernisation and Dam Safety Oversight in Tbilisi programme take place?

It runs from 5 Apr 2027 to 9 Apr 2027, in Tbilisi, Georgia. The registration deadline is shown at the top of this page.

Who should attend?

The programme is designed for civil and hydraulic engineers from national water agencies, project Implementation Unit (PIU) technical specialists and procurement engineers, dam safety inspection and surveillance department officers, operations and maintenance managers for large-scale irrigation schemes, and others who want practical skills in fraud, audit and internal control.

Will I receive a certificate?

Yes. Participants who complete the programme receive a Certificate of Completion from Risalat Consultants International.

Can this programme be delivered for our institution only?

Yes. We can deliver a tailored in-house version at your premises, in another city or online, built around your own cases. Use the proposal request on this page.

Do I need prior experience in fraud, audit and internal control?

No specialist background is required beyond experience in a related role. A short pre-assessment helps the facilitators adapt the sessions to the group.

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