As climate variability intensifies, ensuring safe and reliable drinking water becomes increasingly complex. This theme invites abstracts on adapting water supply systems to emerging climate risks through proactive planning, integration of water safety principles, climate modelling, and innovative resilience strategies. Emphasis can be placed on both urban and rural contexts. Case studies, methodologies, and policy insights that support the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of climate-resilient water systems are especially encouraged.

Ensuring access to clean water requires accurate, continuous, and responsive water quality monitoring systems. This session invites contributions that explore recent innovations in sustainable monitoring technologies, smart analytics, and effective reporting strategies. Emphasis is placed on solutions that are scalable, cost-effective, and adaptable across diverse environmental and socio-economic contexts.
Abstracts may highlight advances in sensor technologies, remote and real-time monitoring systems, and the integration of data science tools such as AI and machine learning to enhance analysis and reporting. Case studies demonstrating practical applications, policy relevance, and impact on water management decisions are particularly encouraged. This session aims to showcase how smart, data-driven systems are reshaping the future of water quality governance.

Astracts should include regulatory experiences related to risk management approaches in drinking water supply systems, their oversight, regulatory impact analysis and the role of interested parties. Of particular interest are the regulations in development, their range, context, associated institutions and organizations that will be in charge of their control, and the challenges associated with implementing such regulations.

Abstracts should focus on challenges and successes with effective and practical emergency and incident management arrangements implemented to mitigate events associated with drinking water safety, reliability and sanitation services associated with water supply networks. Authors are encouraged to highlight case studies to demonstrate practical implementation of emergency response plans.

This theme focuses on innovative, outcome-driven approaches in water supply and sanitation that deliver tangible, measurable impacts. Emphasizing enhanced service quality, operational efficiency, sustainability, and public health, it showcases smart technologies, strategic methodologies, and proven best practices that have led to significant improvements. Through compelling case studies and real-world success stories, this theme aims to inspire practical innovations that generate lasting benefits for communities.

As drinking water sources dwindle worldwide, the treatment and reuse of wastewater have emerged as critical topics, driven by innovation and technological advancements. Consequently, water reclamation and reuse must be rigorously evaluated within water safety planning frameworks. Abstracts for this conference should address the integration of water safety planning frameworks into sustainable and innovative water reuse and reclamation strategies

Abstracts for this thematic area should focus on case studies related to water safety plans, with an emphasis on auditing processes. These should include verification activities such as internal and external audits, as well as the evaluation of Water Safety Plan (WSP) efficacy through auditing. Submissions should highlight the successes and challenges encountered in the auditing process, as well as practical and knowledge gaps

This theme provides researchers with an opportunity to discuss and share the latest findings on emerging contaminants in the water environment. While covering all aspects of emerging contaminant research, it emphasizes microplastics, nanomaterials, agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products. Additionally, it explores the impacts of emerging pollutants on water resources, considering technical and policy solutions to mitigate risks to human health, which are expected to be addressed in the abstracts submitted under this theme.

Authors are encouraged to submit abstracts that highlight practical experiences, innovative approaches, and lessons learned in the implementation of Water Safety Plans (WSPs). Abstracts would clearly articulate how WSP principles—such as risk assessment, hazard identification, control measures, operational monitoring, and management procedures—have been applied in real-world contexts. Submissions may cover diverse settings (urban, rural, utility-scale, or community-managed systems) and should demonstrate outcomes such as improved water quality, public health protection, capacity building, or resilience to climate and emerging risks. Authors are also invited to share challenges faced during implementation and how they were overcome through institutional collaboration, stakeholder engagement, policy integration, or technology adaptation.

Abstracts included in this thematic area should discuss risk assessments and risk management practices and/or case studies related with ensuring safe water in distribution systems including residential, commercial and/or public buildings. For example the understanding and management of opportunistic pathogens and plumbing challenges.

Water Safety in Rural and Community-Based Water Supply Systems is crucial to ensuring public health, especially in underserved areas. These systems often face unique challenges that require tailored strategies for maintaining water quality from the source to the point of use and specifically to be resilient to the climate change risks. Abstracts under this theme may focus on challenges and lessons learned on technical, financial, social and institutional arrangements to sustain the water safety in these systems.