The video is a part of SIWI’s thematic video series, which serves to inform about our five thematic work areas and issues related to them. Visit the Thematic Videos section of our web to watch all videos.

Accredited media is ensured free access to all plenaries, seminars, workshops and side events during the conference. On site there will be a staffed press room where journalists can work in a calm environment, get assistance with interview bookings and receive information about press activities.

The staff at the Communications Department is happy to assist with interview requests, background facts and story ideas. Contact us for more information.

Register and read more on the World Water Week website.

Welcome to the 2013 World Water Week in Stockholm!

The short film WASTE, which illuminates the environmental cost of food waste, has been launched today in connection with World Environment Day.

A tremendous amount of water can be saved by reducing losses and waste of food – as much as ten times the water flow in the Nile. By curbing food waste, energy is saved and the emission of greenhouse gases can be reduced. Equally important, consumers can save a great deal of money by not letting their food go to waste.

SIWI has been a pioneer in addressing the issue of food waste, and has together with IWMI and FAO raised the question in the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD). In 2008, SIWI released the report Saving Water from Field to Fork, which shows how the huge losses and waste of food have significant implications for water, energy, land-use, and generally contribute to environmental degradation. In the making of the film, SIWI has provided knowledge and advise on the linkages between food waste and water.

WASTE is a collaboration between SIWI, UNEP, WWF Germany and FAO. It builds on the film Taste the Waste of Water, which SIWI launched last year during the World Water Week in Stockholm. This new version has been translated into eight languages and presents a more comprehensive overview of the negative effects of food waste, in relation to a range of environmental aspects.

The film has been produced by Schnittstelle Thurn GbR. For further information, please contact Susanne Blech: susanne_blech@web.de or Jan Lundqvist: jan.lundqvist@siwi.org.

Watch the film in the different languages:
German
Spanish
French
Chinese
Russian
Arabic
Portuguese

The Side Event is organised in cooperation with the Alliance for Water Adaptation (AGWA), the Water and Climate Coalition (WCC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Conservation International (CI), the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

For more information, contact karin.lexen@siwi.org.

The Brief proposes a working definition of water security and is intended to serve as a starting point for dialogue on water security in the UN system. The publication aims to capture the dynamic and constantly evolving dimensions of water and water-related issues, and offers a holistic outlook for addressing water challenges through the umbrella of water security.

Download the PDF, or read more about it on UN-Water’s website.

Dr. Peter Morgan has been named the 2013 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate for his work to protect the health and lives of millions of people through improved sanitation and water technologies.

H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden will present the prize to Dr. Morgan at a Royal Award Ceremony during the 2013 World Water Week in Stockholm on September 5.

Over the past four decades, Dr. Morgan has invented and advanced low-cost practical solutions to provide access to safe sanitation and clean water that are being used by millions of people worldwide.

“Many currently existing solutions to provide clean water and sanitation are unaffordable, impractical and out of reach for the world’s poorest people,” said the Stockholm Water Prize Committee in its citation. “As a result of Dr. Morgan’s pioneering work to develop practical water and sanitation technologies for those most in need, countless communities now enjoy safer water, a cleaner environment and quality of life.”

More than 780 million people live without access to safe water and 2.5 billion people lack access to adequate sanitation. Diseases caused by unsafe water, sanitation, and hygiene kill more than 5,000 people each day.

Upon receiving the news, Dr. Morgan said: “Great strides have been made to bring safe water and sanitation to people around the world, yet countless millions are currently still denied access. This prestigious award encourages me to carry on to play my part to improve the conservation and supply of this most precious resource – water – and provide more people with access to clean sanitation.”

A world class inventor and problem solver
Dr. Morgan has invented a wide range of simple, smart and low-cost water and sanitation technologies. Several of his most prominent innovations, including the Bush Pump and the Blair Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) Latrine, have been adapted as the national standard by the government of Zimbabwe. Over 500,000 Blair VIP latrines have been built and serve 3 million people in Zimbabwe alone, and many more have been built worldwide. Dr. Morgan also created the ‘Upgraded Family Well’, which now help half a million people improve the quality of water obtained from traditional wells.

Dr. Morgan has an unwavering commitment to creating solutions that local communities can build and sustain themselves. For each of his technologies he also developed a wide range of training and educational materials that enable local practitioners to install, maintain and improve them. The Blair VIP latrines, for example, are designed so that they can be upgraded as the need or opportunity arises. The ‘Bush Pump’ was specifically designed so that local ‘pump minders’ can provide maintenance using tools that they can carry on their bicycles.

Dr. Morgan is also renowned as the leading creator and proponent of ecological sanitation solutions, which enable the safe reuse of human waste to enhance soil quality and crop production. His ‘eco-san’ toilets are now in use in countries across the globe, centred on converting a sanitary problem into a productive resource.

About Dr. Peter Morgan
Dr. Morgan currently serves as Director of Aquamor, a not-for-profit company working in the rural water supply and sanitation sector in Zimbabwe. He has previously served as Director of the Blair Research Laboratory and as Advisor to the Ministry of Health in Zimbabwe. Throughout his career, Dr. Morgan has shared his designs and innovations freely and ensured that they can be implemented and improved by the local communities where they are used.

A prolific and highly respected scientist, Dr. Morgan is the author of over 100 published articles and previously served as President of the Zimbabwe Scientific Organization and editor of Zimbabwe Science News. He frequently acts as an advisor and consultant on rural water supply and sanitation programmes in countries throughout Africa, such as Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, and Zambia. Dr. Morgan has been the recipient of multiple awards and distinctions, including the International Inventors Award, The AMCOW AfricaSan Award for Technical Innovation in Sanitation, and the Rural Water Supply Network Award for Lifetime Services to Rural Water Supply.

Born in 1943 in Wellingborough, United Kingdom, Dr. Morgan is a naturalized citizen of Zimbabwe. He holds a PhD in Marine Biology from the University of Hull.

About the Stockholm Water Prize
The Stockholm Water Prize is a global award founded in 1991 and presented annually by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) to an individual, organisation or institution for outstanding water-related achievements. The Stockholm Water Prize Laureate receives USD 150,000 and a crystal sculpture specially designed and created by Orrefors. H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden is patron of the prize.

Initially founded by the Stockholm Water Foundation to encourage research and development of the world’s water environment, the Stockholm Water Prize is additionally supported by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, International Water Association, Water Environment Federation and the City of Stockholm. The Founders of the Stockholm Water Prize are companies united in their strong conviction to push sustainability in the water sector. They are: Bacardi, Borealis & Borouge, DuPont, ERV, Fujitsu, Grundfos, HP, Kemira, KPMG Sweden, Ragn-Sells, Scandic, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), Siemens AG, SJ (Swedish Railways), Snecma/Safran, Uponor, Xylem and Ålandsbanken.

Netafim, a pioneer and leading provider of drip and micro-irrigation technology worldwide, has been named the 2013 Stockholm Industry Water Award laureate.

Netafim is the global leader in drip- and micro-irrigation solutions and water-saving technologies. Founded in Israel in 1965, Netafim today provides equipment and services in over 110 countries that enable farmers to produce more with less water.

Currently, more than ten million hectares of farmland are irrigated with drip irrigation, a technology pioneered by Netafim, that dramatically improves water, energy and labour productivity. The use of drip irrigation typically halves water use compared to other irrigation solutions and at the same time increases crop yields.

“Globally, seventy per cent of our finite freshwater is used for irrigation and with rapidly expanding demand for agricultural products there is a dire need to improve water productivity. Netafim’s remarkable achievements, helping farmers across the world to ‘grow more with less’, are directly contributing to a more water and food secure world,” said the Stockholm Industry Water Award Committee in its citation.

Netafim will receive the Stockholm Industry Water Award at a ceremony on September 3 during the World Water Week in Stockholm.

Upon receiving the news, Igal Aisenberg, Netafim President & CEO said, “We are truly honoured to receive the Stockholm Industry Water Award. As the global pioneer and leader in drip irrigation, we have always focused on saving water. With water and land scarcity topping the list of today’s major global challenges, we’re leveraging our expertise and experience in drip technology to help combat food price inflation, ensure food security, and achieve water sustainability. This prestigious award is testimony to our efforts and inspires our work to continue to help reduce water usage and make the world a better, more sustainable place.”

Building stronger family farms
Netafim has designed a specific solution for small holder farmers in developing areas. The Family Drip System™, a gravity-based drip irrigation system, eliminates the need for labour-intensive bucket irrigation, while also saving water. Beyond innovating technical systems, Netafim provides training, capacity building, and knowledge transfer in cooperation with local organisations to help farmers in developing countries maximise yields with existing resources. In, Niger, for example, application of the Family Drip System enabled farmers to more than triple their production of select fruits and vegetables. In India, Netafim’s community irrigation systems and training programmes in sustainable food production have helped over 40,000 small farmers reduce waste on their farms and increased their incomes by twenty per cent over three years. Netafim also regularly holds seminars to educate farmers on water saving techniques in locations around the world. Beyond agriculture, they are also a leading provider of water saving solutions for mining and landscaping, improving their productivity while reducing the environmental impact.

About the Stockholm Industry Water Award
The Stockholm Industry Water Award honours the business sector’s contribution to sustainable water management. It recognises improved performance in production processes, new products, and management, as well as innovative approaches in water and wastewater technologies which together help to improve the worlds water situation. The Award was established in 2000 by the Stockholm International Water Institute in collaboration with the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Read this news in Swedish

Press release as a PDF

High resolution photo of the SIWA sculpture

Learn more about Stockholm Industry Water Award and previous winners

For more information contact:

Britt-Louise Andersson

Phone: +46 (0) 8 522 139 72

Email: britt-louise.andersson@siwi.org

Netafim Photos on Flickr

Netafim’s YouTube Channel