Kuching takes over the IWA World Water Congress for 2028 at Glasgow handover

Kuching in Sarawak, Malaysia, formally took on hosting of the 2028 IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition at a handover ceremony during this week’s congress in Glasgow, according to Sarawak’s Ministry for Utility and Telecommunication, as reported by DayakDaily.

The 2028 event is planned for the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching 2 (BCCK2), the expansion of the city’s existing convention centre, the report said. It will be the first time the International Water Association’s biennial congress has been held in the region. São Paulo has been selected for 2030.

IWA selected Kuching in September 2023 after board and governing assembly meetings in Bordeaux. The association said at the time: “IWA is pleased to announce that Kuching, Malaysia has been selected as the location for the 2028 IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition.” Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said then that “Sarawak has made history today”, Malay Mail reported.

A state rebuilding its water network

Delegates heading to Kuching in two years will find a water sector in the middle of a rebuild. On 1 August 2025 Sarawak merged its main urban utilities — the Kuching Water Board, the Sibu Water Board and LAKU Management — into a single state-owned company, Sarawak Water Sdn Bhd, which was formally launched later that month.

The state is also building a water grid to connect regional systems so that treated water can be moved between them. According to the Ministry of Utility and Telecommunication, RM5.3 billion has been allocated under the 13th Malaysia Plan and alternative funding for water-supply development, with RM597 million for continuing projects in 2026. It says 331 km of grid pipeline has been completed and a further 801 km is being built or planned, including a 108 km Kuching–Bau–Lundu corridor and a 35 km Matang–Samariang link. Treatment plants at Batu Kitang in Kuching, Slabi in Serian and Bayai in Sri Aman have been upgraded.

The longer-term plan is larger still: about 2,800 km of new pipeline and 21 new or upgraded anchor treatment plants, DayakDaily reported, alongside a RM1.1 billion, five-year programme to replace or upgrade around 2,740 km of ageing pipes that began in late 2024.

A dress rehearsal at home

The Malaysian Water Association’s Sarawak branch — exhibiting in Glasgow this week — is organising the Borneo International Water and Wastewater Exhibition and Conference (BIWWEC) 2026, with Sarawak Water as principal strategic partner. The Borneo Post described the event as a stepping stone towards Sarawak becoming a regional water-innovation hub ahead of 2028.

Malaysia’s data-centre question

Kuching’s congress will land in a country where new industrial demand is reshaping water planning. In Glasgow, Air Selangor used a session in the Business Forum Theatre to describe how data-centre applications now equal 11.6% of its production capacity, as The Stratawire reported. In Johor, data centres were reported to use about 9.07 million litres a day, or 0.6% of the state’s total water consumption, according to Malay Mail.

IWA has not yet published exact dates for the 2028 congress. The Glasgow congress runs until 8 October.

Reported from the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition, Glasgow, 6 October 2026.

Written with AI assistance from IWA’s published accounts and the cited sources; the session facts were confirmed to The Stratawire at the congress. The illustration is AI-generated and is not a photograph of the event.