Our mission

​As the voice of the International Water Association (IWA) and the European Water Association (EWA) in Belgium, our mission is to bring together and create a network for every person from the field of Water technology and Management across the country: scientists, regulators, industrialists and policy makers. 

 About us

B-IWA is the acronym of the Belgian committee of the International Water Association, IWA. This organisation is registered as V.Z.W./A.S.B.L, i.e. a non-profit organisation. It welcomes everybody interested in various aspects of management, distribution, treatment, use, quality and ecology of water. People from governmental organisations, academia and students, industrial organisations and their employees, consultants, etc., are all welcome to participate in the activities of B-IWA. Through its delegates, B-IWA is entitled to officially represent Belgium at the board of the International Water Association (IWA) and the meetings of the European Water Association (EWA). This allows our country to have a voice in all water matters and policies at the international forum.
 
Moreover, B-IWA strives to be a visible platform at the national level on all matters of water management. More particularly, the organization has the following key objectives:
  • to create a forum for all stakeholders interested in water issues in Belgium and to bring these people regularly together so that contacts can be established.
  • to stimulate scientific research and development and the practical application of this know-how in the field.
 
Two types of events with different formats are in place to reach this goal. A first one is the concept of B-IWA Happy Hours, which are organised at sites of interest and therefore offer unique opportunities to see infrastructures and practices otherwise not easily accessible. A short presentation and often a tour of the site are followed by some presentations from Belgian Water Professionals and a networking reception. The second concept is the B-IWA Nocturnal. Organised for the first time in 2015, the Nocturnal has a more elaborate program than the Happy Hours and is mainly focused on interactive discussion and networking.
 
Clearly, B-IWA wants to be the Belgian 'water hotspot' where people from different regions, professions and backgrounds meet at regular intervals. Through B-IWA, they can remain up to speed on what is happening in their domain, both at the national and the international level.

 Belgian ties to IWA

In the list below, an overview is given of the representation by Belgian IWA members in the different IWA structures.
Governing Assembly: Peter Goethals, Boudewijn Meerschaert
Programmes:
  • Digital Water Programme: Ingmar Nopens (MC member)
Clusters
  • Resource Recovery: Korneel Rabaey & Willy Verstraete
Specialist groups
  • Biofilms: Eveline Volcke (MC member)
  • Disinfection: Heleen De Wever (MC member)
  • Instrumentation, Control and Automation (ICA): Eveline Volcke (chair)
  • Membrane Technology: Arne Verliefde (MC member)
  • Modelling and Integrated Assessment: Ingmar Nopens (past chair)
  • Nutrient Removal and recovery: Siegfried Vlaeminck (MC member)
  • Statistics and Economics: Jan Hammenecker (MC member)

Upcoming events
With special thanks to
 
​Our sponsors