SIWW 2026

Rosette Media
1 day ago
4 min read

The 11th edition of the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW2026) begins today at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, continuing until 18 June 2026. This event gathers global water leaders, experts, and practitioners to form partnerships, drive innovation, and take significant actions to address the world's urgent water and climate-related issues.

Focusing on three main themes — Municipal Water Solutions, Industrial Water Solutions, and Coastal and Flood Resilience, SIWW2026 unites 2,000 delegates, including 700 global leaders and 500 exhibiting companies, with 25,000 trade visitors anticipated throughout the week. With over 80 sessions, including roundtables and summits on policies and strategies, workshops and forums to promote innovation, and the Water Expo to foster business partnerships, the diverse activities highlight SIWW's growing role as a global platform where ideas are turned into action.

In his opening address, Guest-of-Honour Mr Gan Kim Yong, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry, emphasized that water is essential to the economy, society, and life itself — and in a world facing climate change and increasing uncertainty, it is a matter of resilience. He urged the international water community to progress collectively in investment, innovation, and international cooperation. Citing Singapore's newly completed Tengah Service Reservoir as an example of long-term infrastructure planning, DPM Gan announced an initial S$12 million in Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2030 (RIE2030) funding to advance research and development of industrial water solutions for wafer fabrication and data centres — two of the most water-intensive sectors supporting Singapore's economy. This is in addition to the S$85 million allocated under RIE2030 for municipal water solutions, aimed at advancing water treatment, desalination, emerging contaminants, and sustainable operations.

At the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2026 Award Ceremony, American microbiologist Professor Joan Bray Rose was recognized as the 2026 Laureate for her pioneering work in Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) — a science-based method to ensure the quality of drinking water and water for reuse. During the subsequent Ministerial Plenary, H.E. Retno Marsudi, United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Water, delivered her keynote speech, followed by Singapore’s Minister for Sustainability and the Environment and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, Ms Grace Fu, who joined foreign dignitaries from Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates, and the People's Republic of China to discuss how governments can enhance water security and turn vision into action under the theme "Water Governance for a Circular Economy: From Vision to Action for Prosperity and Resilience". The Ministerial Plenary was organized in collaboration with the World Bank Group.

Yesterday afternoon, prior to SIWW2026's official opening, 68 CEOs and senior executives of global water utilities and agencies took part in the Utilities CEO Roundtable to engage in peer-to-peer learning and share best practices. With the theme “How AI could reshape Water Utilities”, discussions focused on the transformative potential of AI in reshaping water utilities and enhancing operational resilience. Earlier that morning, senior officials from nearly 30 cities, including Copenhagen, Rotterdam, Hong Kong, New York City, Antwerp, Dubai, Jakarta, Melbourne, Quezon City, Tokyo, and Yokohama, participated in the Coastal and Flood Resilience Leaders Roundtable to discuss how cities can adapt their design to strengthen flood resilience and build flood-resilient communities.

SIWW2026 also serves as a major global marketplace, with the Water Expo featuring exhibitors from 35 countries and regions, organized by Messe München in cooperation with IFAT, the world’s leading trade fair for environmental technologies. Spanning six exhibition halls and 23,000 sqm of exhibition space, the Expo includes the largest Singapore Pavilion to date, with 88 exhibitors, and is expected to draw 25% more trade visitors than the previous edition. During the week, the Water Expo will showcase more than 50 product launches, 26 new project announcements, and 8 MOU and contract signings. Together with the event's business and networking platforms, the Expo reinforces Singapore's position as a global hub for water innovation and international business.

Enhancing Coastal and Flood Resilience

SIWW2026 places a stronger focus on coastal protection and flood management, building on the climate adaptation pillar introduced at SIWW2024. The event supports Go Green SG and Singapore's Year of Climate Adaptation, contributing to collective efforts towards a more sustainable and climate-resilient Singapore.

On 17 June, Minister Grace Fu will deliver a keynote address at the Coastal and Flood Resilience Leaders Summit, bringing together government, city, and industry leaders to share strategies and policies for protecting cities from climate change and sea-level rise. Ms Fu will present Singapore's latest efforts in this area, including the launch of the Coastal Protection Code of Practice to guide landowners and the industry in fulfilling their coastal protection obligations.

SWC

During the briefing at the Singapore Water Centre, several important points were presented by various speakers, including representatives from the World Bank Group.

Building on a strong existing partnership, further enhanced with the establishment of the Singapore Water Center (launched in 2024).
Aiming to share Singapore’s development knowledge and provide its expertise to foster innovation in ASEAN and beyond.
Functioning as a knowledge hub and leveraging the WBG’s global experience.

Key Ingredients of Singapore’s Success:

Prioritizing water security as a national strategic focus.
Executing significant reforms backed by effective policies and sustained investments.
Implementing an integrated urban water management strategy throughout the entire water cycle—from collection and treatment to distribution and recycling.
Investing heavily to diversify water sources through the ‘Four National Taps’ strategy.
Cultivating a dynamic water ecosystem that includes private-sector companies, research institutions, and technology partners to promote innovation and resilience.