Interdisciplinary Centre for

River Basin Environment

University of YAMANASHI
JAPAN
 Who is the ICRE?
Through the Looking Water

Water is a basic requirement for life on the earth.

Though it circulates throughout the planet, one
billion or people have no access to safe water, and
natural disaster victims are mostly due to extreme
inequality of water distinctly in Asian and African
countries. The causes and processes of water issues
are regionally specific and no single theory or
methodology is applicable for the solution.
Prof. Kei Nishida
The Interdisciplinary Centre for River Basin
Environment (ICRE) of an intuition in university of
Yamanashi was established in April 2007 as a
research and education core for understanding and
resolving water issues over the world. Our interests
cover a wide range of disciplines related to water:
flood/draught, pollution, diseases, economy and
welfare.

We are developing a unique international

network, Science Union for river basin Researches
and Friends (SURF), to share knowledge and skills
on current/potential crises of water and
implement the solutions by crossing the boarders.
Collaboration is essential to look into the hidden or
the unconscious. Shape of water is shape of us.
to
With prime concern on the water and human
health, ICRE is keen of the Sustainable
Development Goals such as,
❖ Goal-3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-
being for all at all ages.
❖ Goal-6: Ensure availability and sustainable
management of water and sanitation for all.
❖ Goal-11: Make cities and human settlements
inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
❖ Goal-13: Take urgent action to combat climate
change and its impacts.
❖ Goal-15: Protect, restore and promote
sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems,
sustainably manage forests, combat
desertification, and halt and reverse land
degradation and halt biodiversity loss
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Researches
I: Hydrology & Climate Change
Professors
I-1 ISHIDAIRA Hiroshi (Prof.): Hydrological
modeling, Water resources, Remote sensing.
I-2 SOUMA Kazuyoshi (Assoc. Prof.): Extreme
weather forecast, Meteorological and hydrological
modeling, Artificial intelligence.
I-3 MAGOME Jun (Assoc. Prof.): Hydrological
Model, Remote sensing, Climate Change, GIS.

Publications
I-1 Implications of the Melamchi water supply project for the Kathmandu Valley groundwater system,
Water Policy, 21, 120-137, 2019.
I-2 A Deep-learning Method to Correct the Output of a Numerical Weather Prediction Model Used for
Short-term Precipitation Forecast, Japan Society of Civil Engineers,75, 33-39, 2019.
I-3 Assessing flood disaster impacts in agriculture under climate change in the river basins of Southeast
Asia, Natural Hazards, 97, 157-192, 2019.

II: Water Chemistry & Pollution

Analysis
Professors
II-1 NISHIDA Kei (Prof., Director): Nutrient cycle,
Health impact.
II-2 NAKAMURA Takashi (Assist. Prof.): Trace
hydrology, Groundwater and river water quality.

Publications
II-1 Nitrogen balance in paddy fields under flowing-irrigation condition, Nutrient Cycling in
Agroecosystems, 116, 19-30, 2019.
II-1-2 Groundwater use and diarrhoea in urban Nepal: novel application of a geostatistical interpolation
technique linking environmental and epidemiologic survey data, International Health, 10, 325-332, 2018.
II-2 Identifying the deep groundwater recharge processes in an intermountain basin using the
hydrogeochemical and water isotope characteristics, Hydrology Research, 50, 1216-1229, 2019.

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III: Microbiology &
Environmental Technology
Professors
III-1 KAZAMA Futaba (Prof.): Eco-friendly water
treatment systems.
III-2 HARAMOTO Eiji (Prof.): Virology,
Microbial source tracking.
III-3 TOYAMA Tadashi (Assoc. Prof.): Biomass
production, Wastewater treatment.
III-4 KAMEI Tatsuru (Assist. Prof.): Nitrogen
removal, Biomass production.

Publications
III-1 Socioeconomic Impacts of LCD-Treated Drinking Water Distribution in an Urban Community of the
Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, Water, 11, 1323, 2019.
III-2 A review on recent progress in the detection methods and prevalence of human
enteric viruses in water, Water Research, 135, 168-186, 2018.
III-3 Enhanced production of biomass and lipids by Euglena gracilis via co-culturing with a microalga
growth-promoting bacterium, Emticicia sp. EG3, Biotechnology for Biofuels, 12, 205, 2019.
III-4 Coupled anaerobic ammonium oxidation and hydrogenotrophic denitrification for simultaneous NH4-
N and NO3-N removal, Water Science & Technology, 79, 975-984, 2018.

IV: Social, Economical &

Medical Assessment
Professors
IV-1 MUTO Shin’ichi (Assoc. Prof.):
Microeconomics
IV-2 NAKAO Atsuhito (Prof., Dean of Medicine):
Immunology
IV-3 YAMAGATA Zentaro (Prof.): Social
medicine
IV-4 YOKOMICHI Hiroshi (Assoc . Prof.): Social
medicine
IV-5 NISHIDA Kei (Prof., Director): Water-
related livelihood, Resource management

Publications
IV-1 Integrated model of CGE and CUE modeling for evaluation of urban transport projects, Joint 10th
SCIS & 19th ISIS, 2018.
IV-2 Commensal-bacteria-derived butyrate promotes the T cell-independent IgA response in the colon,
International Immunology, 32, 243-258, 2020.
IV-5 Development of an objective water security index and assessment of its association with quality of life
in urban areas of developing countries, SSM Population Health, 6, 276-285, 2018.

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Collaborations
ICRE is conducting collaborative researches and joint projects with other institutions and universities all
over the world. Besides, we have an international collaborative network associated by ICRE alumni from
17 countries: science union for river basin researches and friend (SURF), for supporting ICRE students and
researches to pursue their studies in a different environment and collaborative project.

Research projects
❖ Accelerating social implementation for SDGs achievement (aXis) , FY2020–2021.
URL: https://www.jst.go.jp/global/axis/en/field/a_05_nishida.html
❖ Solution-Driven Co-creative R&D Program for SDGs (SOLVE for SDGs) , FY2019–2022.
URL: https://www.jst.go.jp/ristex/en/e_examin/solve.html
❖ “Hydro-microbiological Approach for Water Security in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal: Provide a Reliable Supply of Safe,
Secure Water to the Area Surrounding Kathmandu”, FY2013–2019.
URL: https://www.jst.go.jp/global/english/kadai/h2502_nepal.html
❖ JICA Program with Universities for Development Studies (JProUD), FY2018–
URL: https://www.jica.go.jp/jica-dsp/english/index.html

Collaborative institution and universities

❖ University of Newcastle (AUS)
❖ Asian Institute of Technology (THA)
❖ L'Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour (FRA)
and more.

Graduate Education
ICRE promotes a combined master’s and doctoral
graduate program on river basin environmental
sciences. The program aims enhancement of the
students’ integrity by nurturing:
1) Borderless enthusiasm for knowledge and
technology in the field of river basin
environments
2) Ability to interact effectively (through
collaboration, negotiation, and leadership), a
global perspective, and the resilience to thrive
all over the world,
3) Practical skills for implementation toward
social solutions.

A total of 77 master’s students and 68 doctoral

students from 17 countries have graduated to work
as environmental experts over the world (as of
April 2020).

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4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu Yamanashi 400-8511 Japan
http://www.icre.yamanashi.ac.jp
https://www.facebook.com/ICRE.UY
ver. Aug, 2020