Dubai, UAE: Winners of the previous three cycles of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award have emphasised the award’s importance in fostering the innovation of sustainable technologies to resolve the global water scarcity crisis. The award accelerates the efforts to find sustainable solutions to the water scarcity problem around the world and provide potable water to underprivileged and afflicted communities worldwide.

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Suqia UAE praised the innovations that have won the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award in the previous three cycles. HE commended their constructive role in providing innovative technologies and prototypes for water production, desalination, and purification using renewable energy. The award also supports the creation of solutions for the clean water scarcity problem that underprivileged and afflicted communities around the world are facing.

Companies, research centres, and innovators who have won the award, stated that the award enhances innovation in the work environment and contributes to introducing new investors to their innovative technologies. This expands the scope of positive competitiveness and fosters green financing aimed at helping communities facing existential threats due to the effects of climate change. The winners stressed that the award adds significant momentum that motivates their staff to persevere in developing their innovations. It also empowers them to invest in the necessary tools to improve their technologies and increase their efficiency and reliance on clean technologies. This reduces their cost, ensuring that they reach a larger number of beneficiaries around the world. Stakeholders highlighted the award’s role in raising the awareness of those affected about the importance of safe and clean water in improving their health and avoiding diseases resulting from water pollution. This in turn reduces health care expenses, in addition to helping them invest their time in raising their productivity and achieving their goals, instead of wasting long hours to secure water.

Over the past 3 cycles of the award, 31 winners from 22 countries were rewarded for their innovative projects in water desalination and purification using renewable energy sources including solar, wind, biomass, hydropower, osmotic power, and geothermal technologies. The award has four main categories: the Innovative Projects Award, which includes the Large Projects Award and the Small Projects Award; the Innovative Research and Development Award, which includes the National Institutions Award and the International Institutions Award; the Innovative Individual Award, which includes the Distinguished Research Award and the Youth Award; and the Innovative Crisis Solutions Award.

“The award provided visibility to our technology, making it known internationally, which has allowed it to be considered by national and international cooperators as a solution to the water quality problem in our country and abroad. Prior to winning the award, the technology had reached an estimated 96,000 people over an 18-year period in Honduras and Nicaragua. From the award, we estimate that in the period of 3 years we will be reaching 25,000 more people incorporating countries such as Panama, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The resources from the award are contributing to the design and construction of prefabricated plants as the alternative that will allow us in the short term to increase the number of beneficiaries, reduce construction times and consequently their costs and reach more countries faster. The award enabled us to scale the technology to levels of accessibility for all, making this part of our institutional vision. Our technology is based on making the water available in local communities drinkable. We are pleased with the increasing awareness among them about the importance of clean water in improving their health and reducing the number of water-related diseases, and improving their lives in general,” said Jacobo Nunez, Director and Founder of Agua Para El Pueblo, Honduras, one of two first place winners of the Innovative Projects Award in the Large Projects category in the third cycle of the award.

“Thanks to the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award, OSMO-WATT® had gained significant visibility on the emergency sector. We have since developed partnerships with different relief aid organisations and foundations such as the red cross and the red crescent. The award has enabled us to fund our future projects to realise our vision ‘Create Water Where Life Is’. The award has been an important motivating factor following the award ceremony and visibility which followed. The award has acknowledged the time and efforts place by all our staff in our impactful projects. Celebrating successful innovations is not offered often and this award opportunity acted as a catalyst to accelerate our innovation roadmap,” said Quentin Ragetly, CEO of OSMOSUN, France, winner of the Innovative Crisis Solutions Award in the third cycle of the award.

“Thanks to the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award, we have expanded into three new communities in Ghana. We have invested the award’s resources to develop our winning device and integrated solar-powered pumps into its system. The award has been instrumental in addressing water scarcity within the communities. The provision of purified clean water has its major impact on the health of the communities mainly by improving their hygiene and reducing the water-related diseases, particularly in children under the age of 5.  This increases the productivity of parents, reduces health care expenses, increases the number of children enrolled in schools, and allows women time to perform their tasks to the fullest extent, after relieving them from walking long hours to secure water for their families. The award provided the opportunity for our staff to hone their skills, encouraging them to innovate technologies that rely on solar energy. We are also exploring ways to benefit from solar energy to automate many necessary manual tasks, including cleaning filters three times a day,” said Linda L. Donald, Co-founder and Secretary/Treasurer of the Board of Easy Water for Everyone, USA, second place winners of the Innovative Projects Award in the Small Projects category in the third cycle of the award.