The Planetary Health Annual Meeting (PHAM) connects the global Planetary Health community to seek solutions for grand challenges facing humanity. During PHAM2025 on 7-10 October in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, participants from across the world addressed the theme “Planetary health for all and in all: Boosting urgency and agency for systems change“. 

As a knowledge partner of PHAM, the PDPC supported a panel on Water Management, “Hydrology and health: Systems approaches in human health and water management.” Moderated by Henk Ovink, Executive Director of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water and former Netherlands Special Envoy for International Water Affairs, the panel covered issues across Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia associated with the complex interactions between water management and planetary health.

Panelists included Reina Sikkema and Marit Meier, partners in the PDPC research project Frontrunner 1: Climate change and vectorborne virus outbreaks, who discussed their collaborative approach to address the complex dynamics of climate change, water management, and vector-borne disease risk. Their research contributes to insights for land use planning and water management that takes into account uncertain climate futures and impacts on ecology and disease transmission.

Emile Sylvestre of TU Delft Water Management shared his insights on designing proactive approaches to assessing and managing water-related disease risks. He explained how epidemiology and quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) are complementary tools for managing health risks. His research demonstrates that climate-resilient water safety planning is essential to managing health risks – not only those associated with faecal–oral pathogens but also opportunistic and vector-borne ones.

Ashraf Aly-Hassan of the United Arab Emirates University highlighted the water challenges in the Middle East, including extreme water stress, challenges associated with desalination, and health risks associated with poor water quality. He also highlighted the transboundary nature of managing water-related health risks and called for an integrated “One Health” approach to water planning. Additionally, Duaa Suliman of the Mohamed Bin Rashid School of Government shared the importance of leveraging indigenous, situated knowledge and interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral partnerships to address water quality challenges – exemplified in her work in Indonesia.

At the intersection of hydrology, environmental change, and human health, the panelists emphasized transdisciplinary and integrated approaches to water management to address pressing challenges such as antimicrobial resistance, pollution, heat stress, and inequities in access to clean water, thereby helping us prepare for a better future.