IAHR-APD Congresses
Since 1973 the Division has convened a regional congress every two years, hosted in turn by member institutions across Asia and the Pacific.
Wellington, New Zealand
He Tāonga te Wai – Water is a Treasure
- Dates
- 8 – 11 February 2028
- Venue
- Wellington, New Zealand
- Hosts
- Open Polytechnic of New Zealand and Victoria University of Wellington
- Abstracts
- Call opens 2027
The 26th Congress returns the Division to New Zealand, organised jointly by the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand and Victoria University of Wellington. The congress flag was handed over to the New Zealand Local Organising Committee at the closing ceremony of the 25th Congress in Incheon.
The theme, He Tāonga te Wai – Water is a Treasure, takes its name from the Māori understanding of water as something held in trust — a framing the Local Organising Committee has chosen for a programme on water as a shared inheritance across the Asia-Pacific.
The call for abstracts and the sub-themes will be announced during 2027. Institutions interested in sponsoring or exhibiting should write to the Secretariat.
Songdo Convensia, Incheon, Republic of Korea
- Participants
- 706 from 22 countries
- Presentations
- 587 — 242 oral, 345 poster
- Sessions
- 42, including 13 special sessions
- Keynote and invited lectures
- 5, and one High-Level Panel
- Exhibition
- 27 booths, 28 sponsors
- Host
- Korea Water Resources Association
- Proceedings
- Springer, with a JHER special issue
- Technical tour
- Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station
Congress archive, 1st – 26th
Rows marked as incomplete are gaps in the Division's own records. Corrections and proceedings links from former host institutions are welcome.
| No. | Year | Location | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27th | 2030 | Nanjing, China | Water Intelligence and Resilience for a Shared Asia-Pacific Future |
| 26th | 2028 | Wellington, New ZealandNext | He Tāonga te Wai – Water is a Treasure |
| 25th | 2026 | Incheon, Republic of Korea | Hydro-environments in the Era of Climate Change and AI |
| 24th | 2024 | Wuhan, China | Water for a Changing Future |
| 23rd | 2022 | Chennai, India | Water – From Land to Sea – Conservation and Management |
| 22nd | 2020 | Sapporo, Japan | Creating resilience to water-related challenges |
| 21st | 2018 | Yogyakarta, Indonesia | Multi-perspective Water for Sustainable Development |
| 20th | 2016 | Colombo, Sri Lanka | Water in the Past, Water in the Present and Water for the Future |
| 19th | 2014 | Hanoi, Viet Nam | Working globally, acting locally on water and climate change issues |
| 18th | 2012 | Jeju, Republic of Korea | Hydro-environmental engineering toward harmony between human and nature |
| 17th | 2010 | Auckland, New Zealand | Go with the flow — changing perception in balancing environment and economic needs |
| 16th | 2008 | Nanjing, China | Water and humanity — friendship, harmony and sustainable development |
| 15th | 2006 | Chennai, India | Water for life — development and management |
| 14th | 2004 | Hong Kong, China | Sustainable water management in the Asia-Pacific region |
| 13th | 2002 | Singapore | Advances in hydraulic and water engineering |
| 12th | 2000 | Bangkok, Thailand | Sustainable water resources management: issues and future challenges |
| 11th | 1998 | Yogyakarta, Indonesia | Hydraulic research for sustainable development |
| 10th | 1996 | Langkawi, Malaysia | Hydraulic research and engineering towards and beyond 2000 |
| 9th | 1994 | Singapore | Developments in hydraulic engineering and their impact on the environment |
| 8th | 1992 | Pune, India | Hydraulic research in the service of mankind |
| 7th | 1990 | Beijing, China | Hydraulics to serve the development of a nation and the welfare of mankind |
| 6th | 1988 | Kyoto, Japan | For further prosperity in hydraulic research toward the 21st century |
| 5th | — | Seoul, Republic of Korea | Year and theme not recorded |
| 4th | — | Chiang Mai, Thailand | Year and theme not recorded |
| 3rd | — | Bandung, Indonesia | Year and theme not recorded |
| 2nd | — | Taipei, Taiwan, China | Year and theme not recorded |
| 1st | — | Bangkok, Thailand | Year and theme not recorded |
Hosting an IAHR-APD Congress
Member institutions in the region are invited to propose hosting a future congress. Proposals are submitted to the Secretariat and considered by the Executive Committee, normally four years before the intended congress.
A complete proposal covers the venue and dates, the proposed theme and sub-themes, the local organising committee, the budget and registration model, and the arrangements for publishing proceedings.
- Read the Guidelines for IAHR Regional Congresses issued by the IAHR Secretariat.
- Complete the proposal format and submit it to the APD Secretariat.
- Present the proposal to the Executive Committee at its next meeting.
- On approval, work through the congress working sheet with the Secretariat.
Each document is published in full on this site and can also be downloaded.
Questions about hosting should go to the Secretariat — see Contact.