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$1m worth of prizes set for second cycle of UAE's global water award

Dubai - The Innovative Projects Award targets government, semi-government and non-government organisations.

Prizes totalling $1 million have been set for the second cycle of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award.
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia), announced the details during a Press conference held on Tuesday.

The award was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to encourage research centres, individuals and innovators around the world to find sustainable solutions using solar energy to address the scarcity of potable water.
Overseen by Suqia, the award has three main categories: Innovative Projects Award; Innovative Research and Development Award; and Innovative Individual Award.
The Innovative Projects Award targets government, semi-government and non-government organisations, and they can participate in two categories: the Large Projects Award with total prizes worth $300,000 and the Small Projects Award with prizes worth $240,000.
The Innovative Research and Development Award, on the other hand, is for individuals and teams from academic institutions and research centres that are independent or linked to governmental or semi-government organisations. It has two categories: the National Institutions Award and the International Institutions Award, with total prizes worth $200,000 each.
The Innovative Individual Award is divided into two: the Youth Award with a prize value of $20,000, which targets youth between the ages of 15 and 35; and the Distinguished Researcher Award with a prize value of $40,000. The deadline for receiving the applications is June 30.
"We have witnessed wide participation from global research centres, institutions and individuals. We received 138 participants from 43 countries around the world. We were also pleased with the size of participation from young people in the award, which celebrated 10 winners from eight countries," said Al Tayer.
"Water is at the centre of economic and social development, and its security is a global challenge because of the increasing population and economic growth. Water scarcity affects over 40 per cent of the world's population," he added.
Drinking water is one of the main foundations for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030, with the sixth goal being to 'ensure access to water and sanitation for all'.
According to the UN World Water Development Report 2019 titled 'Leaving no one behind', three out of 10 people do not have access to safe drinking water, and over two billion people live in countries experiencing high water stress. Four billion people experience severe water scarcity during at least one month of the year.
Stress levels will continue to increase as demand for water grows and the effects of climate change intensify.
Water-related diseases remain among the major causes of death in children under five­: More than 800 children die every day from diseases linked to poor hygiene.
Al Tayer said Suqia will continue its efforts in providing safe drinking water to communities suffering from scarcity and pollution, in cooperation with local and international organisations.
By the end of last year, over nine million people in 34 countries had benefited from Suqia's projects.
KT NANO EDIT
Essential breath of life
Water is essential to life and its scarcity endangers the very existence of our ecosystems as we know it. Experts are already predicting the next great global crisis due to the shortage of fresh water. The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award is an effort to encourage minds to think of alternatives. It is an initiative to fund research and look for solutions. Future is what you make of it, and this is UAE's attempt to stave off an impending crisis.
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com