India and Singapore won the 2014 edition of the UN-Water “Water for Life” Best Practices Award for their sustainable practices of water resources, authorities said on Friday.
The award was announced by the United Nations Office during an official ceremony to mark World Water Day 2014 on Friday, reported Xinhua .
“The winners this year are excellent examples of two organisations that tackle future challenges in a sustainable way,” said Michel Jarraud, chair of UN-Water at the ceremony held in the United Nations University.
The prize is awarded yearly for “best water management practices” and “best participatory, communication, awareness-raising and education practices”.
This year’s “best water management practices” went to the International Water Management Institute (IWMI)-Tata Water Policy Programme, a project based on water scarce across India.
ITP has made progress in filling the gap between research and policy action by simultaneously engaging with scientists and policy makers to tackle the socio-economic environmental challenges related to the improvement of the energy-irrigation nexus, according to the jury.
Singapore-based “NEWater programme”, which can meet 30 per cent of Singapore’s daily water needs, won the “best participatory, communication, awareness-raising and education practices” for its strong social component and enduring partnerships in its manifold and remarkable water management practices.
“One of the merits of the winning projects is how they have been able to integrate and scale-up practices to be able to improve access, efficiency and sustainability in water and energy and to do so in partnership with local and national actors,” said Josefina Maestu, director of the UN-Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication.
