Symposium of Water Sustainability 2025: Bridging Past, Present, and Future
What is it about?
Water is a fundamental component for sustaining life and supporting human development. The United Nations (UN) underscores that water sustainability is a central pillar of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: ensuring clean water and sanitation availability and sustainable management. The UN World Water Development Report 2024 notes that more than two billion people worldwide still lack access to safe drinking water, while climate change is projected to increase the frequency and severity of droughts, floods, and the degradation of aquatic ecosystems (UNESCO, 2024).
History shows that water management has always been a defining factor in the advancement of civilizations—from the ancient irrigation systems of Mesopotamia to modern urban water governance (Mays, 2010). Today’s challenges call for a more comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach, integrating technical expertise, public policy, local wisdom, and a deep awareness of social justice (Gleick, 2018).
This symposium serves as a strategic platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration, bringing together diverse perspectives to view water through a more holistic lens. The theme “Bridging Past, Present, and Future” aims to integrate historical lessons, contemporary challenges, and future visions for global water sustainability in the service of humanity.
Objective
Panel Proposal Requirements
Proposals must include:
The list of SoWS 2025 panels:
Panel 1: Women's engagement in water usage
In many parts of the world, women have long been at the heart of water management in their homes and communities—collecting, storing, distributing, and safeguarding it for daily needs. This close relationship with water shapes family health, supports agriculture, and sustains local economies. Women often carry valuable knowledge about water sources, seasonal patterns, and quality, yet their voices are still underrepresented in decisions about water governance. This panel will examine women’s roles, challenges, and innovations in managing water. It welcomes discussions on women’s leadership in community water groups, the gendered impacts of water shortages, the ecological knowledge of Indigenous women, and ways to strengthen women’s influence in policy-making. Both rural and urban examples, as well as comparative studies, are encouraged.
Convenors: Ninuk Sholikhah Akhiroh, Hartati Sulistyo Rini
Panel 2: Water and local wisdom
For centuries, communities worldwide have developed unique water management methods, often rooted in deep cultural traditions. Rituals, customary laws, oral histories, and local irrigation systems have helped protect rivers, springs, wetlands, and coastal waters for generations. These traditions face new pressures from climate change, industrialisation, and rapid urban growth today. This panel invites conversations on how local wisdom can guide solutions to current water challenges. Possible topics include case studies of Indigenous water governance, integrating customary practices into formal policy, and how traditional systems adapt—or resist—external change. Presentations that critically reflect on the resilience and transformation of these traditions are especially welcome.
Convenors: Kuncoro Bayu Prasetyo, Stanley Khu, Eka Yuniati
Panel 3: Politics of water resources
Water is both a basic need and a powerful political resource. It influences local and national power dynamics, shapes international relations, and often becomes the focus of conflict. Water politics intersects with debates on decentralisation, privatisation, infrastructure projects, and environmental regulation in Indonesia. This panel explores how power, policy, and profit determine who gets access to water and under what conditions. Topics may include river basin governance, disputes over dam construction, international water agreements, and community movements resisting water injustice. Comparative work from other countries or cross-border water systems is also welcome.
Convenors: M. Fikri Amrullah, Moh. Aris Munandar
Panel 4: Water, disaster, and climate change
Water can sustain life but bring devastation—especially when combined with environmental mismanagement or climate change. Rising sea levels, floods, droughts, and water-borne diseases hit vulnerable communities the hardest. This panel examines how water-related disasters interact with broader climate change impacts. We invite contributions on community-driven adaptation, climate-resilient water infrastructure, and the role of science, culture, and policy in disaster risk reduction. Cross-disciplinary perspectives—bringing together hydrology, social sciences, and climate research—are especially encouraged.
Convenors: Lukki Lukitawati, Fredy Hermanto
Panel 5: Water sustainability
Sustaining our water resources means balancing human needs, healthy ecosystems, and future security. It calls for innovative technology, fair governance, and active community participation. This panel welcomes ideas and experiences from different contexts—whether on watershed restoration, urban water reuse, circular water economies, or conservation strategies. Presentations that offer fresh insights on measuring and achieving long-term sustainability and examining the role of different stakeholders are particularly encouraged.
Convenors: Vina Nurul Husna, Aprillia Findayani
Panel 6: Water access and social justice
Water access and social justice are inseparable. As highlighted in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—especially Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and Goal 10 (Reduced Inequalities)—access to clean water reflects deeper questions of fairness and equity. Marginalised groups, including people with low incomes, women, and Indigenous communities, are often the most affected by scarcity or pollution. Addressing these inequalities requires collaboration across sectors and a clear commitment to the human right to water. This panel will bring together diverse perspectives to discuss how fair and inclusive water governance can be achieved and how a rights-based approach can ensure resources are shared sustainably for the benefit of all.
Convenors: Gunawan, Hany Nurpratiwi
Panel 7: Water history
The way societies manage water has shaped human civilisation. From ancient canals and aqueducts to colonial water systems and modern infrastructure, water management reflects both technological progress and political priorities. This panel explores historical perspectives on water use and governance, and how these legacies influence today’s challenges. We welcome studies on urban water supply history, traditional irrigation systems, colonial and post-colonial policies, and changing cultural narratives around water. Comparative and transnational approaches are also encouraged.
Convenors: Tsabit Azinar Ahmad, Ganda Febri Kurniawan
Panel 8: Water and renewable energy
Water and energy are deeply connected. Hydropower, tidal energy, and other renewable technologies can support sustainable development and raise environmental and social questions. This panel will explore the points where renewable energy projects meet water management, from the impacts on river ecosystems to the experiences of communities living near energy sites. We invite case studies, comparative research, and innovative ideas that seek to balance clean energy goals with the protection of water resources.
Convenor: Yan Amal Abdilah
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