World Groundwater Congress

After Wuhan and Cape Town, the World Groundwater Congress is back in Europe. With its central location in Europe, a long tradition as a meeting place and its scenic surroundings, Switzerland offers an ideal setting to meet, exchange new findings and discuss pressing challenges in the groundwater field.

In a rapidly changing world, groundwater is a crucial resource that is under increasing pressure. To anticipate future trends, we need to improve our understanding of how groundwater interacts with rivers, lakes, ecosystems and the cryosphere, and how it responds to extreme events, building on rapid methodological advances. Sustainable groundwater management strategies must take into account the many interactions within the water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus and can only be developed in close cooperation between countries, stakeholders and the society as a whole. At the Congress, we will facilitate interactions beyond the scientific community, involving members from industry, public administration, as well as international organizations and development agencies, to share knowledge and discuss these challenges.

The IAH Congress is well known for its inclusive approach, welcoming participants with a broad background from all continents. We are building on this spirit and provide new opportunities for interaction and dialogue, with special opportunities for young hydrogeologists. In addition to parallel sessions covering all major groundwater topics, we will hold plenary debates centered around major groundwater challenges, side-events and short courses. Representatives from industry, academia and public administrations have the possibility to show-case innovative products and solutions during an exhibition.

You can register for one of these options:

• the whole week
• the Humanitarian&Development Day on Tuesday September 10th (discount for SWP members!), with sessions dedicated specifically to topics in humanitarian and development context (option available as of July 1st)
• the Swiss Day on Thursday September 12th, with some sessions dedicated to topics particularly relevant for the local Swiss context