Entries are now open for a $1-million (Dh3.67-million) award to find sustainable solutions for water scarcity by using solar energy to purify and desalinate water.
The Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award is presented by the UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia) and will be presented later this year.
“This global award confirms the UAE’s commitment to sustainability and finding sustainable solutions to water scarcity around the world," said Saeed Mohammad Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia) and Managing Director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority. "This supports the efforts of Dubai and the UAE to actively help alleviate the suffering of the needy around the world."
The UAE Water Aid Foundation encourages organisations, research centres and innovators from around the world to compete to find sustainable and innovative solutions to water shortages by using solar energy.
The foundation is working to provide potable water to the needy, the disadvantaged, and the distressed around the world. It contributes to finding permanent solutions to water shortages around the world, by using modern technologies and providing new and innovative solutions for societies that suffer from water shortages, scarcity and pollution. It also conducts studies and research to combat water scarcity using solar energy. It partners with international educational and academic institutions to achieve this goal, added Al Tayer.
The prize encompasses: the Innovative Projects Award, worth $500,000; the Innovative Research and Development Award, which is $400,000 and is given to both national and international institutions; and the Innovative Youth Award, worth $100,000.
“The evaluation criteria includes technology, design, environmental alignment, creativity, innovation, health and safety, and sustainability," said Mohammad Abdulkareem Al Shamsi, Acting Executive Director of the UAE Water Aid Foundation.
"The Innovative Projects Award is presented to organisations that innovate excellent projects for producing, desalinating, or purifying water using solar power. It includes two sub-categories: small projects and large projects.
"Applicants for the Innovative Research and Development category must submit innovative technologies or prototypes for using solar energy to produce, desalinate, purify, or effectively manage water resources. It includes two sub-categories: national institutions and international institutions.
"Applicants for the Innovative Youth Award must present innovative technological solutions to address water scarcity using solar energy to produce safe drinking water. Applicants must be below the age of 40. The project must be developed and implemented by individuals, not groups.”
Shaikh Mohammad launched the UAE Water Aid initiative in June 2014 to provide clean water to approximately five million people worldwide. Suqia, the UAE Water Aid’s campaign, raised Dh180 million to provide clean drinking water to seven million people around the world. Since its launch, the UAE Suqia project has provided 3,058 wells in various parts of the world.
