The Stratawire · On the ground
Our reporting desk covered the technologies, people, utilities and decisions shaping the global water sector.
Glasgow · 4–8 October 2026Scottish Event Campus (SEC), Exhibition Way, Glasgow G3 8YWOrganised by International Water Association
Coverage brief
Theme: Water action – the path to resilience and prosperity
The official programme ran to 100+ technical sessions and 60+ workshops. Our coverage focused on developments with clear industrial, infrastructure, technology or public-service consequences.
The Lamu County Government-led Kiunga solar desalination and Water-for-Peace initiative has won gold in the Governance, Institutions and Social Enterprise category at the IWA Project Innovation Awards.
Photo: Stablenode
The 2026 IWA World Water Congress reaches its final day in Glasgow. Here is what the week told the water sector, from awards to regulation, and what is still on today's programme.
The £35 million Nereda-based plant took bronze in the Performance Improvement and Operational Solutions category at the IWA Project Innovation Awards ceremony in Glasgow.
China's Zhengzhou Xinqu 'Megacity-Scale Water-Energy Nexus Model' has won the Grand Innovation Award at the IWA Project Innovation Awards 2026, topping 320 entries from 65 countries.
The 2026 IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition opened in Glasgow on 4 October. Clarissa Brocklehurst received the IWA Global Water Award and Professor Katherine Richardson urged delegates to turn connections into action.
Dubai's Hassyan 180 MIGD seawater reverse osmosis independent water project has taken gold in the Exceptional Project Execution and Delivery category at the IWA Project Innovation Awards 2026.
EMASESA's cyber-physical water cycle project for Seville took gold in Smart Systems and the Digital Water Economy at the IWA Project Innovation Awards 2026, presented during the World Water Congress in Glasgow.
The former chair of the Independent Water Commission addressed IWA delegates in Glasgow as the government prepares to replace Ofwat with a single regulator — and as England remains in drought.
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