Mission
The mission of the Water Quality Research Center (CWQR) as the first specialist center on drinking water and pollutions in the health system is to achieve following objectives:
1. Conducting researches and publishing or sharing the findings with policymakers, scientists, industry, and public society.
2. Providing the scientific evidence-based solutions for issues related to water pollution and its effects on health and the assessment risk and interactions.
3. Providing scientific evidences and active participation to strengthen the health systems policies on the health-related issues of water.
4. Training experts in the field of water and health challenges.
5. Updating current in-use knowledges and sciences to better use of technologies or development of them.
6. Expanding the inter-governmental, regional and international cooperation with interested institutions and organizations to achieve common goals.
Vision
Center for Water Quality Research (CWQR) is using qualified/trained staff and appropriate physical and laboratory facilities, known as a scientific and technical arm for health system. CWQR has authority to make policies and decisions in the field of water quality and attributed diseases. As one of the leading scientific and research centers in the region, it collaborates with World Health Organization (WHO) and other reputable international ones.
Goals
1.Establishing infrastructure for the national and international collaborations
2.Determine the research priorities based on the stakeholder needs
3.Provide infrastructure for research
4.Review the educational needs at the general and specialized level for water and wastewater
5.Establishing educational software and hardware infrastructures
6.Courses training at various levels of general and specialized levels
7.Establishing the infrastructure for research funding
8.Providing counseling services
9.Planning for the provision of resources through the provision of research, executive, and specialized services
10.Planning for the business-oriented research infrastructures in the water and wastewater sector
11.Policy-making for development in water sector
12.Improving quantity and quality of the Centers publications
13.Capacity building to conduct the national or regional conferences
Research Fields and Interests
1.Providing a comprehensive database of physical, chemical and microbiological parameters of water.
2.Analysis of water quality and quantity data using advanced statistical techniques and spatial analysis.
3.Development of tools (i.e. software or spreadsheet programs) for analyzing drinking water data.
4.Education and research on Water Safety Plan (WSP) and Sanitation Safety Planning (SSP).
5.Education and research on Qualitative, Semi-quantitative and quantitative techniques of risk assessment.
6.Quantitative microbial risk assessment for microbial hazards in drinking water.
7.Quantitative chemical risk assessment for emerging chemicals in drinking water.
8.Estimating the magnitude exposures with pollutants and expressing them in terms of health-based indicators like DALY.
9.Involving in the preparation of the plans and guidelines for water and wastewater safety.
10.Preparation of qualitative map of contaminating agents with emphasis on estimation of risk and health effects.
11.Modeling and analyzing the time series in changes predicting of pollutants in water resources.
12.Performance of the laboratory research emphasizing the use of advanced technologies in water treatment.
13.Identification and tracking of microbial contaminant agents using diagnostic and molecular techniques.
14.Estimation of quantitative and qualitative water quality and quantity indices like water poverty index.
15.Qualitative and health-related evaluation of point-of-use water treatment equipment performance .
16.Analysis the relationship between the level of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services and health-related indicators.
17.Providing and evaluating innovative techniques for disinfection of drinking water.