About the exhibition

This photo exhibition explores the profound and enduring significance of water in human history and culture. However, our relationship with this vital resource is increasingly strained. Today, many regions face an escalating water crisis—or are already in the midst of one. Floods, droughts, declining groundwater levels, rising sea levels, pollution, and conflicts over water are just some of the pressing challenges affecting our vital resource.

The 7th International Symposium on Knowledge and Capacity for the Water Sector here at IHE Delft convenes to discuss the evolution of the water sector, bringing together organizations, knowledge institutions, and policymakers. This exhibition presents powerful visual narratives to enrich scientific knowledge with our world's water stories.

This exhibition features four photo stories from Onewater and UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme’s ‘‘Walk of Water’ contest. Centered on "Water Towers" in line with the International Year of Glacier Preservation 2025, the contest invited photographers to capture stories of disappearing glaciers, evolving water storage solutions, and the changing concept of ‘water towers’—natural, built, or metaphorical. The overwhelming response of over 7,000 entries from 104 countries underscores this global concern. The competition awarded €20,000 in prizes, thanks to the support of the Asian Development Bank, MPB, Inter-American Development Bank, and the City of Burghausen.

This exhibition also features two additional photo stories. One takes us to Uganda, examining the links between water, women’s health, and education. The second transports us to the vast steppes of Mongolia, where water sources, pastoral traditions, and the effects of climate change intersect in the daily lives of rural communities.