Sustainable water models face tough competition for Zayed Energy Prize

Abu Dhabi - The Zayed Sustainability Prize, which gives away funds worth $600,000, is an annual award launched in 2008.

More than two billion people in the world drink unsafe water, and waterborne diseases cause 3.6 million deaths every year, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The three finalists selected for the Zayed Future Energy Prize's 'water' category are already changing lives through sustainable and innovative solutions to make drinking water available to impoverished communities in rural areas.
From setting up freshwater cube fountains in village schools in Senegal and Haiti to introducing sustainable wastewater management and distribution, these companies are tackling a global water crisis.
The Zayed Sustainability Prize, which gives away funds worth $600,000, is an annual award launched in 2008, aiming to recognise and reward individuals and enterprises for their significant and inspirational solutions to promote sustainability.
The winners in five distinct categories - health, food, energy, water and global high schools - will be announced during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, to be held from January 12 to 19.

Fountain for youth
One of the companies vying for the prize in the water category is the non-profit association Agir Ensemble (Act Together), which sets up 'Safe Water Cube' fountains in rural villages of India, Sri Lanka, Senegal and Haiti. The fountains purify both surface and well water, allowing immediate access to clean drinking water.
Once the fountain is set up in a village (ideally at the village school), 1,000 people per day get access to clean drinking water.
Since August 2016, Agir Ensemble has installed over 70 fountains in nine countries and provided drinking water access to over 80,000 people in rural areas. Each implementation of a fountain also results in the creation of two local jobs, for one male and one female who are then responsible for the fountain.
"Approximately 3,000 children have been educated on the importance of clean drinking water. Our statistics also showed an increase in school enrolment rates to 85 per cent versus 40 per cent before the Safe Water Cube installation," said Jean-Paul Augereau, president of Agir Ensemble France.
The company said their target is to set up 500 fountains, which means providing 500,000 people with safe drinking water permanently since they become the owners of the fountains.
Free water, more jobs
Another finalist for the prize is 1001fontaines, a French organisation with the mission to improve the health of low-income populations through sustainable access to safe drinking water.
In Cambodia, the company pioneered the water kiosk model - an approach based on the decentralised purification of locally available water and the empowerment of an entrepreneur who sells safe water at an affordable price to the local population.
"Following the success of our model, we replicated it in Madagascar, from 2008, and we are now looking at a large-scale replication with new projects in Myanmar and Vietnam," said François Jaquenoud, founder of 1001fontainess.
"Our project is addressing the burning issue of providing sustainable access to safe water for low-income populations."
To date, 1001fontaines has established more than 200 water kiosks in Cambodia and Madagascar, providing safe drinking water to over 500,000 beneficiaries, including 150,000 children receiving free water at schools. The water kiosk solution has also enabled the creation of 600 jobs directly in the villages, fostering improved livelihoods and economic development.

Recycling water daily
The third finalist vying for the prize is ECOSOFTT, an international social enterprise that provides sustainable solutions to address the issues of water scarcity, shortages and quality in both developed and developing regions.
"Our Water Smart Blue Building and community platform enable total water sustainability through end-to-end, source-to-source management of the water cycle for living communities including townships, residential developments, commercial buildings, campuses and villages," said Marcus Lim, co-founder and managing director of the company.
ECOSOFTT's water and wastewater technologies have been employed in 50 projects that serve over 200,000 people, who now gain access to total water sustainability, with an aggregate volume of over eight million litres of water treated and recycled every day.
"Over 1,000 persons from rural, underprivileged background have gained 24/7 access to clean water at 70 litres per person per day in addition to dedicated toilets and bathrooms, wastewater recovery systems, and improved livelihoods."
anjana@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi