PSIPW Winners Honoured In Vienna Under The Patronage Of King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

The 11th awards ceremony of the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW) took place at the United Nations headquarters in Vienna, Austria. Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture Eng. Abdulrahman Abdulmohsen Alfadley attended on behalf of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. In his speech, Alfadley congratulated the winners and highlighted their contributions to water resource sustainability.

Alfadley underscored Saudi Arabia's dedication to research and innovation, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030. He mentioned that by 2040, annual spending on these areas is expected to reach 2.5% of GDP. He stressed the importance of innovation and global cooperation to address water challenges effectively.

The minister urged scientists and researchers to tackle water sector issues in Saudi Arabia. He emphasized the need for solutions considering population growth, limited resources, and climate change impacts. Alfadley expressed gratitude to the PSIPW committee and organizing entities for their efforts in supporting water sector sustainability globally.

The PSIPW recognized outstanding international scientists in various categories. The Creativity Prize was awarded to two teams: Maria Cristina Rulli from Italy and Paolo D’Odorico from the USA for their work on water, energy, and food relationships; Zhiguo He from China for developing multifunctional robots for underwater research.

Several specialized innovation prizes were also presented. Qiuhua Liang from the UK received the Surface Water Prize for hydrodynamics models aiding real-time flood forecasting. Chunmiao Zheng from China won the Groundwater Prize for tools analyzing groundwater processes under different conditions.

The Alternative Water Resources Prize went to Virender K. Sharma from the USA for technologies using activated iron to remove contaminants from wastewater. Joseph Hun-wei Lee from China was awarded the Water Management & Protection Prize for hydro-environmental modeling systems in smart cities.

Global Collaboration Efforts

Aarti Holla-Maini, Director of UNOOSA, concluded the ceremony by highlighting PSIPW's global commitment to fostering innovation and research. She discussed UNOOSA's collaboration with PSIPW on the Space for Water project, which connects over 110 organizations and 60 experts worldwide to promote sustainable water management dialogue.

With inputs from SPA