about us
IWRA HISTORY
IWRA was established in 1971 as a nongovernmental international organization aimed at encompassing all aspects in the professional field of water resources and filling interdisciplinary voids. Its first President and a driving force in its initial years was Ven Te Chow, Professor of Hydraulic Engineering at the University of Illinois (USA).
Objectives
The advancement of water resources planning, development, management, science, technology, research, and education.
The establishment of an international forum for planners, administrators, managers, scientists, engineers, educators, and others who are concerned with water resources.
The encouragement, collaboration, and support of international programs in the field of water resources.
The provision of broad knowledge and information on water resources in order to create an international forum for interdisciplinary communication through its flagship journal, Water International, and other IWRA publications.
Resources
| Year | Event |
| 1950-60s | Concept of IWRA evolved through informal discussions and contacts among scientists, engineers, administrators, and others concerned with water resources |
| 1971 | IWRA Articles of Incorporation submitted in the State of Wisconsin (USA), following a discussion at the International Conference on Pumped Storage Development and its Environmental Effects in Milwaukee |
| 1972 | First Executive Board with Ven Te Chow as President (until 1980) |
| 1973 | First World Water Congress in Chicago |
| 1975 | First issue of Water International published |
| 1985 | Crystal Drop Award, for laudable contributions to the world’s water situation, first given to UNESCO during V World Water Congress in Brussels |
| 1988 | Ven Te Chow Memorial Award and Lecture first given to Vujica Yevjevich during VI World Water Congress in Ottawa |
| 1994 | The Cairo Statement, proposing the World Water Council, produced at the VIII World Water Congress in Cairo |
| 2007 | Executive Office moved from North America, first to Africa then to Europe |
| 2008 | Taylor & Francis begin publishing Water International |
| 2020 | IWRA holds its first Online Conference on Groundwater and Climate Change |
| 2021 | IWRA transitions to a new membership structure |
| 2021 | IWRA celebrates its 50th anniversary |
| 2024 | 1st Islands Water Congress took place in Faroe Islands |
| 2025 | IWRA celebrates 50 years Water International |
| Year | Location of Executive Office |
| 1972 | Falls Church, Virginia, USA |
| 1976 | Washington D.C., USA |
| 1984 | University of Illinois: Urbana, Illinois, USA |
| 1995 | University of New Mexico: Albuquerque, USA |
| 1998 | Southern Illinois University: Carbondale, Illinois, USA |
| 2006 | McGill University: Montreal, Canada |
| 2007 | Water Institute of South Africa (WISA): Midrand, South Africa |
| 2010 | Association VERSeau Developpement: Montpellier, France |
| 2016 | Agence de l’eau Seine-Normandie: Paris, France |
| year | International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO): Paris, France |
| Congress | Year | Location | Theme | Dates |
| I | 1973 | Chicago, USA | Importance and Problems of Water in the Human Environment in Modern Times | 24-28 Sept. 1973 |
| II | 1975 | New Delhi, India | Water for Human Needs | 12-16 Dec. 1975 |
| III | 1979 | Mexico City, Mexico | Water for Human Survival | 23-27 Apr. 1979 |
| IV | 1982 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Water for Human Consumption: Man and his Environment | 5-9 Sept. 1982 |
| V | 1985 | Brussels, Belgium | Water Resources for Rural Areas and their Communities | 9-15 Jun. 1985 |
| VI | 1988 | Ottawa, Canada | Water for World Development | 29 May – 3 Jun 1988 |
| VII | 1991 | Rabat, Morocco | Water for Sustainable Development in the 21st Century | 13 -18 May 1991 |
| VIII | 1994 | Cairo, Egypt | Satisfying Future National and Global Water Demands | 13-18 May 1994 |
| IX | 1997 | Montreal, Canada | Water Resources Outlook for the 21st Century: Conflicts and Opportunities | 1-6 Sept. 1997 |
| X | 2000 | Sydney, Australia | Sharing and Caring for Water | 12-16 March 2000 |
| XI | 2003 | Madrid, Spain | Water Resources Management in the 21st Century | 5-9 Oct. 2003 |
| XII | 2005 | New Delhi, India | Water for Sustainable Development, Towards Innovative Solutions | 22-25 Nov. 2005 |
| XIII | 2008 | Montpellier, France | Global Changes and Water Resources | 1-4 Sept. 2008 |
| XIV | 2011 | Porto-de-Galinhas, Brazil | Adaptive Water Management: looking to the future | 25-29 Sept. 2011 |
| XV | 2015 | Edinburgh, Scotland | Global Water, A Resource for Development: Opportunities, Challenges & Constraints | 25-29 May 2015 |
| XVI | 2017 | Cancun, Mexico | Bridging Science and Policy | 29 May – 3 Jun 2017 |
| XVII | 2021 | Daegu, Korea | Foundations for Global Water Security and Resilience: Knowledge, Technology and Policy | 29 November – 3 December 2021 |
| XVIII | 2023 | Bejing, China | Water for All: Harmony between Humans and Nature | 11-15 September 2022 |
| XIX | 2025 | Marrakech, Morocco | Water in a Changing World: Innovation and Adaptation | 1-5 December 2025 |
| Years | President |
| 1972 – | Ven Te Chow |
| 1980 – | Guillermo Cano |
| 1983 – | Jean Pierre Garbe |
| 1986 – | Peter J. Reynolds |
| 1989 – | Asit K. Biswas |
| 1992 – | Mahmoud Abu-Zeid |
| 1995 – | Glenn E. Stout |
| 1998 – | Benedito P.F. Braga |
| 2001 – | John J. Pigram |
| 2004 – | Aly M. Shady |
| 2007 – | Cecilia Tortajada |
| 2010 – | Jun Xia |
| 2013 – | Dogan Altinbilek |
| 2016 – | Patrick Lavarde |
| 2019 – | Gabriel Eckstein |
| 2022 – | Yuanyuan Li |
ADDRESS
Stafford Rosenbaum LLP
222 West Washington Avenue, Suite 900
Madison, Wisconsin 53701-1784
United States of America
IWRA Executive Office
22, rue de Madrid 75008
Paris, France
Phone: +33-6-44-20-57-53
Email: office@iwra.org
Editorial: editor@iwra.org