The official flagship journal of the Association since 1975.

Established in 1975, Water International is the official peer-reviewed journal of the International Water Resources Association, currently published by Taylor and Francis. It has an Impact Factor of 1.9.

The world’s first interdisciplinary water resources journal, for over 50 years Water International has connected cutting-edge scientific research with water management policies and practices worldwide. It serves as a respected platform for authors and researchers to share their work and contribute to the global dialogue on issues critical to the sustainable management of water resources around the world.  

Water International  publishes policy-oriented studies  on global water challenges: research articles, state-of-the-art reviews, technical notes, viewpoints and commentaries used by water professionals, researchers, and experts around the world, along with special issues on the most pressing emerging water topics.

Water International connects its readers to a network of scholars and practitioners throughout the world through publishing, book reviews and dialogues. 

IWRA silver and gold members benefit from free access to all Water International’s articles.  

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Editorial Team & Editorial Board

IWRA's Mentored Publishing Scheme for Early-Career Professionals

IWRA launched the Publication Mentoring Initiative (PMI) in 2020. The purpose of the initiative is to encourage mentoring of junior water professionals through the development of publishable articles that are accepted for publication by Water International.  Articles produced through this initiative will be researched and written by one or more junior water professionals closely mentored by a senior water professional. Learn more about the PMI 2023 scholars here, and the PMI 2020 scholars here.

Author Testimonials

Water International has a two-tiered process of review, wherein promising manuscripts go through a process of internal screening by the Associate Editors, and commonly with requests for revision before external review, in order to improve the chances of a positive review. It is a rigorous process that takes time, but contributes to improving the manuscripts, and keeping the quality of our journal. It is certainly not for impatient authors. Those who make it through and see their manuscript published, are often satisfied and thankful for the opportunity to improve their work.

Thobekile Zikhali-Nyoni

"I am deeply grateful for your guidance and the opportunity to contribute to Water International. Thank you for this invaluable opportunity. I look forward to collaborating with Water International in the future." - Zikhali-Nyoni, T. (2025). Assessing the value of third parties in transboundary water governance: a constructivist institutionalism perspective on the Incomati River Basin. Water International, 50(1), 48–69.
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Guillaume Martin

"I am very honored by this decision and truly grateful to the editorial team and the reviewers for their valuable feedback and support throughout the process. Their insightful comments and guidance have significantly contributed to improving the quality and clarity of the article. It is a privilege to have my work accepted for publication in Water International." - Martin, G. (2026). Improving water accessibility in last-mile markets through water kiosks: challenges, decentralized models, and strategic resource utilization in rural Cambodia. Water International, 51(1), 58–74.
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Cihan Necmi Gunal

"Thank you so much for your kind and understanding response. I truly appreciate your flexibility and support. I am grateful for your patience and encouragement throughout this process. It means a great deal to me." - (Article under revision)

Mak Sithirith

Thank you for accepting my manuscript. Thank you very much and I value this work with Water International. // Sithirith, M. (2026). From slow violence to ecological crisis and hard violence: the impacts of climate change and hydropower development in the Mekong River Basin on Tonle Sap Lake. Water International, 1–29.
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Bhaskar Jyoti Deka

"Thank you for meticulously assessing my manuscript and considering it for publication. I look forward to working with you in the future." - Deka, B. J. (2026). Decoding Narendra Modi’s hydro-diplomacy in the Brahmaputra River basin. Water International, 1–19
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Filippo Verre

"I would like to thank you once again for your constant support throughout what was, at times, a long and demanding process. Even during the more intense moments, I always felt I could rely on you as a thoughtful and steady point of reference. I truly appreciated your guidance and wanted to express my gratitude." - Verre, F., Berndtsson, R., & Hashemi, H. (2026). Sudan’s internal hesitance over the GERD: policy, polarization, and national strategy. Water International, 1–25.
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Kris Hartley

"This illustrates a great model for the association/journal - publishing work then reinforcing it or keeping it visible through events like the webinar. I really appreciate it and have not seen this level of integration in any other association/journal. In addition, given the priority the journal places on diverse perspectives, the 'dialogue' model of publishing responses to articles, and responses to responses, is fantastic and captures what I think is the original spirit of scholarly discourse." - Hartley, K., & Kuecker, G. (2021). Deconstructing masculinity in water governance. Water International, 46(5), 671–676.
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Gordon Mitchell

"It’s really great that your journal offers an outlet for more speculative pieces like mine – few journals do. I very much hope the submission can encourage discussion amongst the community." - Mitchell, G. (2026). Personal water allowance trading – learning from carbon. Water International, 51(4), 534–551.
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Quentin Grafton

"It has been a very good experience working with Water International." - Nguyen, N. M., Mawdsley, A. L., Le, T. H. L., Wyrwoll, P., Longboat, S., & Grafton, R. Q. (2026). Proximate causes of unsafe drinking water access in Ontario, Canada: First Nations versus non-First Nations communities. Water International, 1–30.
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Special Publications in Books

Special Publications in Books (SPIBs) bring together expert insights on key water issues, offering focused, in-depth resources to inform policy and practice.

Explore our SPIBs