SANCOLD 2026 Annual Conference

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

The Annual South African National Committee on Large Dams (SANCOLD) Conference in 2026 will be held in Gauteng from Wednesday 11 November to Thursday 12 November 2026.

SANCOLD invites all from South Africa, Africa and the wider family of ICOLD to participate in the Conference which will include technical presentations and an exhibition. This event will offer dam and water resources engineers as well as all contributing to the dam engineering industry important international, regional and local linkages, networking and the exchange of knowledge and experience opportunities.

SANCOLD 2026 will be an ECSA Continuing Professional Development (CPD) accredited event and attendance for both days will receive 2.0 credits (1 credit/day).

ORGANISING COMMITTEE

The Organising Committee for this event consists of a number of SANCOLD Management Committee Members. SANCOLD have appointed Qinisa as the Professional Conference Organiser (PCO).

BACKGROUND TO THE CONFERENCE

The general theme of the SANCOLD Conference 2026 is “Smart Dams, Secure Water”. Smart dams represent the future of water infrastructure being resilient, adaptive and supported by intelligent, data-driven decision making. Through advanced technologies, digital monitoring systems and modern engineering practices, dams can be managed more safely, efficiently and sustainably throughout their lifecycle.

In South Africa, dam infrastructure faces increasing pressure from climate variability, ageing assets and growing water demands. Addressing these challenges will require practical, sustainable and future-ready solutions that strengthen water security for generations to come.

CONFERENCE THEME AND TOPICS

The general theme of the SANCOLD Conference 2026 is “Smart Dams, Secure Water”. A listing of the topics is given below as an aid towards the formulation of a suitable paper within the Conference theme. Please note that the topics are not exhaustive and papers satisfying the conference theme can also be submitted under Topic 9: Other. Abstracts and papers are invited under the following topics:

1. Smart Technologies and Innovative Methods for Dam Design and Construction
2. Climate Resilience and Environmental adaption
3. Dam Rehabilitation, Asset Management and Life Extension
4. Smart Tailings Management, Operations and Closure
5. Dams for Water Security, Flood Management and Resilient Communities
6. Geotechnical aspects of dams and water engineering structures
7. Dam Safety, Risk Governance and Emergency Preparedness
8. Hydropower, Pumped Storage and the Energy Transition
9. Other

CALL FOR PAPERS AND ABSTRACT

The abstract should indicate the paper title, the author(s) and the text should not exceed 200 words. Details on the abstract template and submission will be available shortly. This will be communicated in the second announcement.

Once the abstract has been received and accepted, the author/s will be provided with a document which sets out the required format for the full paper. The full paper will be subject to peer review. A substantial prize for the best paper by a Young Engineer (see below) will be awarded. The deadline for the submission of abstracts is 13 July 2026.

Submit papers and abstracts here

Click here to download the 2026 Abstract Template

IMPORTANT DATES: SANCOLD 2026

Call for Papers (First Announcement)	Monday 2 June 2026
Abstract submitted by	Monday 13 July 2026
Abstract approval	Monday 27 July 2026
Registration Opens	Tuesday 1 September 2026
Draft paper submission	Monday 21 September 2026
Early Bird registration close	Thursday 1 October 2026
Draft paper reviewed	Monday 5 October 2026
Final revised paper submission	Monday 19 October 2026

 

PRELIMINARY CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

The Conference will commence on Wednesday morning 11 November 2026 with a technical keynote address followed by technical presentations. There will be a meeting and social later in the same evening for the Young Person’s Forum during the Conference, and for all people young at heart. The Conference Dinner will be held on the Thursday evening. The preliminary Conference Programme is shown below:

Tuesday 10 November 2026
18:00 – 19:00	Registration
Wednesday 11 November 2026
07:00 – 08:00	Registration
08:00 – 09:00	Welcome by SANCOLD Chairperson Technical keynote speaker
09:00 – 17:30	Technical sessions
17:30 – 18:30	Annual General Meeting of SANCOLD (all welcome)
19:00 – 22:00	SANCOLD Young Person’s Forum Meeting and Social Evening free for other delegates
Thursday 12 November 2026
07:30 – 08:00	Registration
08:00 – 17:30	Technical Sessions
18:30	Conference Dinner, Awards and Prizes

 

VENUE AND ACCOMMODATION

Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre,
Viewpoint Road, Bartlett, Boksburg
For directions click here
Hotel Booking Code for Conference will be made available once registrations open

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

A number of sponsorship opportunities exist and the SANCOLD 2026 Secretariat should be contacted for further detail. Each technical session may receive sponsorship and the sponsor will be entitled to make a five-minute presentation at the start of the session on their organisation. These sponsorship opportunities include:

• Conference Sessions;
• YPF dinner;
• Conference dinner;
• Lunches;
• Conference notebooks;
• Lanyards;
• USB Memory Sticks for presentations and proceedings
• Conference proceedings

EXHIBITION

The SANCOLD Conference 2026 Exhibition is an opportunity to show the Dam Community what you can do. The event is expected to attract around 200 delegates from South Africa, Africa and the rest of the world. The Exhibition will be in the entrance hall of the Conference Centre. Early booking of exhibition space is recommended as the number of spaces could be restricted. The Exhibition will be held on the first two days of the conference (11 and 12 November 2026). The approximate size of each exhibition area is 2 x 3 m. (Table and two chairs included). Stand allocation will be based on when payment has been received. If you wish to discuss the matter further, please do not hesitate to contact the Conference Secretariat.

CONTACT US

SANCOLD Secretary:
secretary@sancold.org.za
admin@sancold.org.za
sancold@qinisaevents.com