The 4th IWA Conference on Rainwater Harvesting and Management: Connecting Water, Climate, and Culture

The 4th IWA Rainwater Harvesting and Management Conference 2026 is an international forum advancing rainwater as a key element of sustainable and climate-resilient water management. Held under the theme “Rainwater for Tomorrow: Water, Climate and Culture,” the conference brings together science, practice, policy, and community perspectives to explore rainwater’s role in drinking water security, climate adaptation, governance, and social resilience.

The conference combines scientific exchange with practice-oriented learning, highlighting decentralised and community-based rainwater solutions that strengthen adaptive capacity and long-term resilience. By integrating technical, social, educational, and cultural dimensions, it promotes rainwater as an essential component of inclusive water systems.

Hosted in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the conference draws on lessons from monsoon-influenced regions where rain has long shaped livelihoods and water practices, offering insights increasingly relevant to global water challenges.

The event provides a platform for knowledge exchange, collaboration, and capacity building, connecting local experience with global learning to support resilient and sustainable water futures.

Theme & Vision: Rainwater for Tomorrow – Water, Climate and Culture

• Reframing Rainwater: Recognising rainwater not only as a technical resource, but as a vital link between environmental processes, social systems, and cultural values.

• Water: Emphasising rainwater’s role in securing safe and reliable water supply through decentralised systems that support drinking water, public health, and daily life.

• Climate: Highlighting rainwater harvesting as a practical response to climate variability, extreme events, and uncertainty, contributing to resilience and adaptation.

• Culture: Acknowledging rainwater management as rooted in local knowledge, traditions, and institutions—particularly in monsoon-influenced regions where communities have long adapted to living with rain.

Mooyoung Han (South Korea) – Professor, Seoul National University

Yang Peou (Cambodia) – Secretary General of the Royal Academy of Cambodia (RAC)

MAM Sarith (Cambodia) – Director of the Rainwater Technology Research Center (RTRC), Royal Academy of Cambodia

Nguyen Canh (Vietnam) – CEO, RIWEM

Sichann Kyhln (Cambodia) – Engineer, RTRC, Royal Academy of Cambodia

Hyunji Im (South Korea) – Team Leader, Seoul National University

Nang Mya Su Aung (Myanmar) – CEO, Rain for All Myanmar

• Dates: 1–6 September 2026
  • Conference: 1–4 September (Phnom Penh)
  • Technical Tour: 5–6 September (Siem Reap / Angkor Wat)
• Venue: Royal Academy of Cambodia (RAC), Phnom Penh
• Submission Deadline: 31 March 2026