More about IAHS International Commission on Water Resources Systems (ICWRS)
ICWRS is one of the Commissions of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) and promotes research development on the integration of all phases of water resource protection, planning, design, management, operation and utilisation. The range of scientific interests represented by ICWRS is especially related to the term “system” in its name. A system describes a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole. Water resources are a distinguished example of interacting bodies under the influence of related forces. Responsibility for a system is shared among its components. Resulting from this double integration, ICWRS topics today cover a wide range of scientific interests with a common focal point that can be described by: Integrated water resources management (IWRM).
What does IWRM mean?
The modern concept of IWRM considers two basic categories:
- the natural system, which is of critical importance for resource availability and quality, and the human system, which fundamentally determines the resource use, waste production and pollution of the resource
- an integrated approach needs a balanced consideration of both categories and their interdependencies as well as the different internal relationships within each category.
The activities of ICWRS are dedicated to new approaches in order to find a balance between society’s demand for water and the restoration of waters as part of the conservation of nature in the 21st century. Here the integration challenge consists in linking water quantity and quality, atmospheric/surface water and groundwater, land-use and water management, small-scale sub-catchments and large scale main river basin systems, ecosystems and economic/social development, water supply and water conservation, urban and rural water users, poor communities and better-off users, bio-physical and socio-economic information, statutory water governance and participation by catchment stakeholders, routine management and responses to hydrological extremes, technology application and capacity-building/advocacy etc.
Hydrological sciences have to consider jointly the four characteristics of a water resource (1) quantity, (2) quality, (3) condition of the aquatic habitat and (4) condition of the aquatic biota. The ICWRS builds on, and bridges the separate disciplines, promotes opportunities for cross-fertilization among these disciplines and also challenges them on matters of internal focus and priority in the sustainability/systems context of modern water management concepts.
Papers coupled under ICWRS
- Bridging Science, Policy and Practice: ICWRS Opinion Paper (2026)
Recently accepted for publication in Hydrological Sciences Journal, the opinion paper “Integrated Water Resources Management in the IAHS HELPING Decade: Bridging science, policy and practice” draws on ten international case studies to examine how technical, ecological, social and political dimensions shape water management decisions. It explores why scientific knowledge and technically sound solutions do not always translate into practice, highlighting the roles of governance, community participation and institutional capacity. Aligned with the IAHS HELPING decade (2023–2032), the paper identifies transferable lessons and practical pathways to strengthen collaboration among researchers, policymakers and practitioners for sustainable and adaptive water management.
Reference: Uysal, G., Chaffe, P. L. B., Fischer, S., Cudennec, C., Croke, B., Blöschl, G., Leong, C., Liu, S., Rosbjerg, D., Simonovic, S. P., Kileshye Onema, J.-M., Takeuchi, K., Viglione, A., & Loucks, D. P. (in press). Integrated Water Resources Management in the IAHS HELPING Decade: Bridging science, policy and practice. Hydrological Sciences Journal. https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2026.2734278
- Tracing the Evolution of Water Resources Systems Research and Commission (2024)
Published in Hydrological Sciences Journal as part of the History of Hydrology special issue, this paper traces five decades of ICWRS research through its scientific meetings and publications, showing how priorities evolved from mathematical modelling and optimization to uncertainty, sustainability, adaptation and water–society interactions. It examines links with the IAHS scientific decades, preserves the commission’s institutional memory and draws lessons for researchers and decision makers addressing current water management challenges and shaping future research.
Reference: Uysal, G., Croke, B., Schumann, A., Rosbjerg, D., Simonovic, S. P., Kileshye Onema, J.-M., Takeuchi, K., Leong, C., & Loucks, D. P. (2024). Historical synthesis of the International Commission on Water Resources Systems. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 69(16), 2372–2390. https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2024.2412726
Some recent activities coupled under ICWRS
- The 10th International Symposium on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) / 11th EGU Leonardo Symposium: Decision Support and Co-Design in Water Resources Systems - Empowering Local Voices in Global Frameworks (2026)
Canberra, Australia | 9–12 September 2026
This symposium aims to bridge that gap by promoting systems-based approaches that integrate scientific insight, local knowledge, and participatory decision-making. It aligns closely with the goals of the current scientific decade of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) - Science for Solutions: Hydrology Engaging Local People IN one Global world (HELPING) (2023–2032), emphasizing co-designed solutions and stakeholder engagement.
- IAHS–ABRHidro Joint Meeting on Water Resources Systems and Statistical Hydrology (2024)
Florianópolis, Brazil | 4–7 November 2024
The International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) and the Brazilian Association of Water Resources (ABRHidro) held a joint meeting combining three events:
- The 9th International Symposium on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
- The 14th International Workshop on Statistical Hydrology (STAHY)
- The 1st Brazilian Meeting on Statistical Hydrology (EBHE)
The meeting provided a shared forum for researchers working on water resources systems and statistical hydrology to exchange knowledge and strengthen collaboration.
- ICWRS Meeting during IUGG, Berlin (2023)
- ICWRS Meeting during Scientific Assembly of IAHS, Montpellier (2022)
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