News

The African Water and Sanitation Association (AfWASA) has been working for nearly 45 years to address water-related challenges across the continent. In 2023, the association changed its name from the African Water Association (AfWA) to the African Water and Sanitation Association (AfWASA). Expanding its scope to include sanitation brings new tasks and challenges for the organisation at strategic, decision-making, and service-strengthening levels.
 

​It is often the case that financial institutions and donors focus on the cheapest solutions during project preparation. However, both the beneficiary and the donor organisation share the same interest: to implement investments that are sustainable and operational in the long term.  At the 13th Balkan Water Conference, organised by the Albanian Water Supply and Sewerage Association (SHUKALB) under the title “Sustainable Water Management in a Changing Climate”, Dr Károly Kovács, PhD, President of Hungarian Water Association and founder of Pureco, presented a tool that can help achieve this dual objective.

Dr. Kovács Represents Hungary’s Water Sector at the Seventh Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol on Water and Health

HWP attended India's largest and most significant environmental fair

To strengthen the Hungarian–Vietnamese cooperation in the water industry, the Hungarian Water Partnership participated in the 2025 Vietnam Water Week, organized in Hanoi by our strategic partner, the Vietnam Water Supply and Sewerage Association. Between August 20–22, the international forum was attended on behalf of our cluster by Co-President Róbert Forintos and Secretary General Bálint Horváth.

Our industrial cluster had the distinguished opportunity to present itself at the 95th Meeting of the Strategic and Technical Council (STC) of the African Water and Sanitation Association (AfWASA), held in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, from 21 to 24 July 2025. HWP was represented by its President, Dr. Károly Kovács, who serves as the sole non-African member of this committee within the pan-African organization. A detailed report is available here.

 

At the invitation of the head of the Romanian Water Association (ARA), the president of the Hungarian Water Partnership took part in the EXPOAPA 2025 water industry exhibition in Bucharest, held from June 23–25.

One of the highlights of the event was a high‑level regional roundtable discussing the European Commission’s Water Resilience Strategy, published in June. Dr. Károly Kovács joined the panel as a speaker, while the session was chaired by Jessika Roswall, the Commissioner for Environment, Water Management and a Competitive Circular Economy.

In March, HWP signed a memorandum of understanding in Seoul with the Korea Water and Wastewater Works Association (KWWA). The cooperation got off the ground right away: it was agreed with the South Korean partner organization that a group of public administration experts and civil servants responsible for water management will conduct a study visit to Budapest this summer.

On June 17 KWWA's 17‑member delegation toured the Csepel island water treatment facility of the Budapest Waterworks, where they were welcomed by HWP’s president, Dr. Károly Kovács, and co‑president, Róbert Forintos. During the visit, Károly gave a presentation not only introducing HWP but also sharing insights about our region’s water supply and sanitation situation, as well as the latest infrastructure development trends.

Here's a quick summary of what we've achieved so far — thanks to these results, our member companies now have more and more professional connections they can use to get involved in water industry and infrastructure projects across the "black continent".

HWP participated as an exhibitor and through presentations at the "Looking back, Looking forward: A State of the Sector Update" water conference organized by the Vienna-based (and notoriously long-named) International Association of Water Service Companies in the Danube River Catchment Area (IAWD).