Drought, flooding and water scarcity brought water experts from across Asia and the Pacific to Turpan, China, where discussions connected scientific research with the everyday ways communities use and value water. Held from 16 to 18 September 2026, the 33rd session of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme Regional Steering Committee for Asia and the Pacific brought together representatives from 15 IHP National Committees, alongside UNESCO water-related Centres and Chairs.
The meeting took place alongside the sixth International Seminar on Water Culture, creating space to examine water management through scientific and cultural perspectives. In his opening message, Dr Abou Amani, UNESCO's acting Assistant Director-General for Sciences, stressed that effective solutions depend on understanding how people live with water, recognising the contribution of local knowledge and cultural practices to hydrological science.
New research captures the different faces of water scarcity
A central development was the launch of the fourth volume of the Catalogue of Hydrologic Analysis, focusing on water shortage, scarcity and drought. Its 14 contributions from 13 countries show how water challenges and responses differ across regional and local settings, offering practical insights for a region confronting growing pressure on its water resources.
The catalogue is the regional steering committee's flagship publication, with four editions published since 2019 to support water security and climate resilience. Work has begun on a fifth volume covering integrated water resources management and water governance, with 17 experts presenting preliminary contributions during the meeting. The planned publication extends the discussion from understanding hydrological problems to examining how water resources are managed and how decisions about them are made.
Regional cooperation links water data with practical decisions
Committee members elected Datuk Ir. Mohamad Radzi bin Abdul Talib, Director General of Malaysia's Department of Irrigation and Drainage, as chair for 2026–2028, succeeding Professor Pham Thi Thanh Nga of Viet Nam. The leadership change formed part of a gathering that brought national committees and UNESCO's wider water network together to exchange experience on shared challenges.
A technical session contributing to the International Seminar on Water Culture examined the relationship between science, data and water management. Co-organised by the regional steering committee and the International Research and Training Centre on Erosion and Sedimentation, it brought together six experts from the UNESCO Water Family to explore practical ways of connecting hydrological evidence with decision-making and adaptive management, keeping attention on how research can inform responses to changing conditions.
Turpan's water systems connect ancient ingenuity with new technology
A technical excursion through Turpan gave participants examples of water management across different periods, beginning at the Karez Museum with an ancient underground irrigation system that uses gravity to transport water. The visit illustrated the engineering knowledge embedded in traditional practices, giving a local dimension to the meeting's discussion of science, culture and the ways communities manage scarce resources.
Participants visited the World Heritage ruins of Jiaohe City, perched above two rivers, before concluding the excursion at a smart agriculture site using artificial intelligence, drones and agricultural robots for precision irrigation and water conservation. These visits placed historical approaches and contemporary technology within the same conversation, showing the range of knowledge and tools available to people managing water.
The China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research hosted the meeting, facilitated by the regional steering committee's secretariat at UNESCO's Regional Office in Jakarta and UNESCO's Regional Office for East Asia in Beijing, with support from Japan through the Japanese Funds-in-Trust. The gathering linked regional cooperation, practical research and local experience, reinforcing the importance of understanding water as a scientific resource and a part of people's lives.
