The Reed Elsevier Environmental Challenge, with an objective to promote novel ideas that enhance access to clean and sustainable supply of water to communities, has awarded cash prizes to two projects.
The projects were assessed under various aspects such as stressed type of solution, practical usage, easy reproduction and further modifications, chance of participation from a range of neutrals and local communities, equal and non-discriminatory by nature from the reach of legal, scientific and other angles.
Tagore-SenGupta Foundation received the first prize of $50,000 for installing 12 arsenic removal units in schools and villages in Cambodia, where widespread arsenic groundwater pollution is threatening the life of the locals. The technology that was deployed by the foundation has been tested in India. The units use regenerating type of absorbents and do not require power supply to operate. They also eliminate expensive repairs. The installation will generate employment opportunities during the building and installation phase of units and also during the maintenance stage of the project.
The second prize of $25,000 was awarded to a project developed by Jenna Forsyth. The project concentrated on the production of chorine by using minimum level of resources to address a number of issues such as poor sanitation and unsafe drinking water facilities in Western Kenya in Nyanza province, which is considered to be the poorest region in the country. The school-based pilot project, developed in association with the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health, employs a prototype chlorine generator that utilizes water, salt and battery power to produce chlorine for disinfecting the water. The device, which utilizes a single charge of battery, can produce 40,000 liters of clean, drinking water.
The Reed Elsevier Environmental Challenge contributes to the UN General Assembly established Water for Life Decade campaign that runs from 2005 to 2015 to prevent exploitation of water resources and to provide access to safe water supply to at least 50% of people.
The two winning projects will be published in the Reed Elsevier journal, Water Research, and will be felicitated at a reception to be held during World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden on 24th August, 2011.
Source: http://www.reedelsevier.com/