This year, IWRA is celebrating a remarkable milestone: Water International’s 50th anniversary.
In 1975, IWRA’s founding President, Professor Ven Te Chow, launched Water International with a bold mission: “to provide broad knowledge and information on water resources and to create an international forum for interdisciplinary discourse and communication.”
The first issue was only 32 pages long, produced with no staff and barely enough funds to print. Yet from these humble beginnings, the journal carried forward a vision of scientific integrity, inclusiveness, and internationalism that continues to guide us today.
Over the course of five decades, Water International has grown into a leading global journal and a trusted bridge between science, policy, and practice. Along the way, it has:
- Published landmark research, from hydrological modelling to transboundary river cooperation
- Influenced global debates on topics like water security, climate change, and equity
- Advanced key frameworks such as integrated water resources management, hydrosocial territories, and the water–energy–food nexus
What’s inside the anniversary issue?
The 50th Anniversary Special Issue: Halfway to 2075 brings together leading voices to reflect on how knowledge on water has evolved, and where it is heading.
In Part one, you’ll find highlights from across five decades of Water International, including:
- Editorials revisiting the journal’s founding vision and legacy
- Analyses of the most cited articles per decade and their influence in the field
- Reflections on past special issues
- Insights on how past lessons can guide solutions to today’s urgent challenges, from climate impacts to SDG6 implementation
This is the first of two special anniversary issues, with Part two to be officially presented at IWRA’s XIX World Water Congress in Marrakech this December.
This journey has only been possible thanks to you — our authors, reviewers, editors, publishing partners, and readers worldwide.
Thank you to everyone involved.
