Stockholm International Water Institute » Stockholm Water Prize

Sanitation innovator named 2013 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate

Nora — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:31:03 +0000

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

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.

Save the date! SIWI to announce three prestigious Prizes May 23

Sanna — Wed, 22 May 2013 06:00:49 +0000

Thursday May 23 will be a focal day in SIWI’s work to recognise outstanding water-related achievements. The prestigious prizes Stockholm Water Prize, Stockholm Industry Water Award and Årets Vattenskola will all be announced on the same day, make sure to save the date!

On May 23 at 14:30, SIWI’s Chair Peter Forssman will announce both the Stockholm Water Prize Laureate and the Stockholm Industry Water Award Winner during the event “Cities and Green Growth – Urban Evolution” at Stockholm Waterfront Congress Centre. The event is organised by City of Stockholm, OECD, Stockholm Business Region and a number of other actors.

H.R.H Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden will open the seminar, which also features Mayor of Stockholm Sten Nordin, Swedish Minister for the Environment Lena Ek, as well as international and Swedish policy makers, business leaders and experts. Seats are still available, register here!

Årets Vattenskola will be announced at 14:30-15:00 at a public event in Kungsträdgården in Stockholm, organised by Tekniklyftet and Vetenskapens Hus. The event takes place at 11:00-16:00 and will include entertainment, several award ceremonies, as well as an exhibition. If you are in Stockholm, come by Kungsträdgården to mingle with us at the SIWI booth and take part in the celebration!

Celebrate the World Water Day with SIWI!

Sanna — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:30:07 +0000

Registration is now open to SIWI’s and Swedish Water House’s World Water Day Seminar on March 22! The Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation, Gunilla Carlsson, will hold a keynote speech and the 2013 Stockholm Water Prize will be announced.

The seminar will focus on water cooperation and specifically cross-sectoral collaboration between the private sector, the public sector and the scientific community. The seminar includes speeches from experts within the water community as well as private sector representatives.

When? March 22, 08.30-13.00
Where? Grand Hôtel, Stockholm
How? The seminar is free of charge, but pre-registration is needed.

*The seminar will be held in Swedish.

Register here!

International Water Management Institute (IWMI) named 2012 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate

Nora — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:57:00 +0000

On World Water Day, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), with headquarters in Colombo, Sri Lanka, was named the 2012 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate for their pioneering research that has served to improve agriculture water management, enhance food security, protect environmental health and alleviate poverty in developing countries. H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden will present the prize at a Royal Award Ceremony during the 2012 World Water Week in Stockholm on August 30.

Article in Stockholm Water Front, issue no 1, 2012

Acknowledging Grand Achievements at the World Water Week

Nora — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:51:38 +0000

This years winners are: Prof. Stephen R. Carpenter, the 2011 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate, Ms. Alison Bick received the Stockholm Junior Water Prize and Nestlé was awarded this years Stockholm Industry Water Award.

Article in the Stockholm Water Front, issue no 3, 2011.

In Honourable Memory of the 1994 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate Dr. Takeshi Kubo

Nora — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:50:23 +0000

Organising a sewage system for 12 million people might sound like a life-time achievement for many, but for the late Stockholm Water Prize Laureate, Dr. Takeshi Kubo, this was only the beginning of a life-time journey, which lives on after he passed away on April 1, 2011, at the age of 91.

Article in Stockholm Water Front, issue no 2, 2011.

In Honourable Memory of the 2000 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate Kader Asmal

Nora — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:50:21 +0000

Many in the world associate his name with revolutionary perseverance to end Apartheid in South Africa, with grand scale reform and not least, with a charming charisma. The 2000 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate, Professor Kader Asmal left the world a slightly better place, but his choices and knowledge will live on to inspire many, over many years to come.

Article in Stockholm Water Front, issue no 2, 2011.

Phosphorus: Approaching Fundamental Limits?

Nora — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:50:19 +0000

Professor Stephen R. Carpenter of the University of Wisconsin-Madison was named the 2011 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate for his outstanding research on lakes. In this exclusive editorial, he presents an argument for phosphorus management.

Article in Stockholm Water Front, issue no 2, 2011.

Stockholm Water Front No. 2 2011

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:50:15 +0000

In this issue of the quarterly Stockholm Water Front, an exclusive editorial contribution by the Stockholm Water Prize Laureate Stephen Carpenter presents the dangers for overusing phosphorus. The Laureate says despite scientific uncertainty about reaching a stage of peak phosphorus production, humanity is definitely heading towards total exploitation of a nutrient that is extremely important for ecosystems. The issue also focuses on a range of regional and national issues, while keeping SIWIs global perspective. For example, it tackles water policy issues related to Chinas Three Gorges Dam, the birth of South Sudan in the Nile basin, and droughts in the western Brazilian Amazon Basin. The diversity of those and other contributions aims to give the reader a critical view of some of the most current issues of our day.

Next big advance will be in catastrophe resilience

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:49:24 +0000

The 2011 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate, Prof. Stephen R. Carpenter believes that the need to deal with large catastrophic events such as floods and droughts will make us rethink how or landscapes and institutions are built.