Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid honours global water security champions

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has honoured the winners of a $1 million prize aimed at driving efforts to bolster global water security.

Sheikh Mohammed met the 11 recipients of the third Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award on Tuesday.

The initiative was established to encourage research centres and innovators all over the world to develop sustainable solutions to the issue of water scarcity.

The UN estimates that one in three people worldwide do not have access to safe drinking water.

The award is divided into four categories: recognising individual achievements, research and development, innovative projects and crisis solutions.

The winners came from Honduras, India, the Philippines, the US, Kenya, Malaysia, China and France.

Sheikh Mohammed launched the UAE Suqia initiative in 2014 with an initial goal to provide clean water to about five million people around the world. It has gone on to support millions more.

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Saeed Al Tayer, chairman of the board of trustees of Suqia UAE, hailed the impact of the global water award in helping to address a pressing concern.

“We were pleased with the level of interest and participation in the award and the quality of innovations presented by companies, research centres, institutions and innovators worldwide,” said Mr Al Tayer.

“We received submissions from 56 countries, highlighting the UAE’s role as a platform for promoting innovation and a destination for creators.”

The award winners

Innovative Projects Award (large projects):

Joint First: Agua Para el Pueblo, Honduras, for an electricity-free technology to remove turbidity from contaminated surface water sources.

Joint First: South Asian Forum for Environment, India, for a solar-powered reverse osmosis-based water vending machine.

Third: Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation Inc, Philippines, for a hydraulic invention that pumps water to communities living at a higher elevation.

Innovative Projects Award (small projects):

First: University of Illinois, US, and Safe Water in partnership with Aids Project, Kenya, for a solar-powered drinking water ozonation project.

Second: Easy water for Everyone, US, for an innovative project that repurposes hemodialysers to purify water for drinking, washing and cooking in remote villages.

Third: Membrane Filters, India, for a stand-alone solar-operated water filtration plant that removes inorganics from groundwater.

Innovative R&D Award – International Organisations:

First: University of Malaya, Malaysia, for a smart auto-backwash membrane system without chemicals.

Second: Sustainable Livelihood Initiative, India, for a sustainable water purifier providing clean water without any membranes, filters or external energy.

Third: Maithri Aquatech, in collaboration with Jain University, India, for a hybrid water solution that combines sustainable water generation and food preservation.

Innovative Individual Award – Innovative Researcher:

Professor Peng Wang, China, for three technologies to produce inexpensive, clean drinking water for small-to-medium-sized communities.

Innovative Crisis Solutions Award:

Mascara NT, France, for a preconnected containerised solar-powered desalination project that can be deployed in less than two hours.