Picture: Dr Hamanth Kasan addressing the IWA Governing Assembly, 16 September 2023, following his election to be the next IWA President

The International Water Association (IWA) is pleased to announce that Professor Hamanth Kasan of South Africa has been elected to be its next President. 

Professor Kasan was chosen by the IWA Governing Assembly during its meeting on 16 September 2023 in Bordeaux, France. He will take office at the end of IWA’s World Water Congress & Exhibition taking place in Toronto, Canada on 11-15 August 2024, when he will succeed the current President, Tom Mollenkopf. 

“I am really pleased to have been elected to serve as the next President of IWA. Having been a part of IWA for a great many years, I know well the power and potential of our association as a member-led organisation,” said Professor Kasan. “I look forward to taking up the role in August next year, working with all Governing Members, Board, Strategic Council, Management and staff for us to ensure further development, growth and impact of IWA.” 

Professor Kasan has been a long-standing and active member of IWA and its predecessors. He joined the association 35 years ago. His contribution to date has included serving two terms as a Vice President and four terms on the IWA Board. He has also been pivotal in progressing IWA’s presence in South Africa and more widely in Africa. In 2020, he was accepted as an IWA Distinguished Fellow, in recognition of his contribution to the Association and the water sector. 

IWA President Tom Mollenkopf welcomed the President-elect saying: “It is a great pleasure to welcome Prof Hamanth Kasan back to the Board of the International Water Association as President-elect, following his election by our global Governing Assembly. Hamanth is well known to the IWA membership, having been active in the water sector internationally and across the African region. I look forward to working with Hamanth in the lead-up to our World Water Congress and Exhibition in Toronto next August when he will succeed me as IWA President.” 

Kala Vairavamoorthy, Executive Director of IWA, added: “Hamanth has a deep understanding of the work of IWA through his many years’ active engagement and prior service on the IWA Board, including as Vice President. We will welcome his unique insights in Africa where IWA has worked hard to grow the Association’s presence and deliver an expanding range of activities” 

Among his wider professional activities, Professor Kasan has had a 22-year career at Rand Water, South Africa’s largest water utility, where he was a General Manager. He is Honorary Research Professor at the Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology, Durban University of Technology, and a Senior Fellow of the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA). Dr Kasan has a PhD in Microbiology, Water and Environmental Engineering.