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Community Involvement

Beyond the River – Sharing Benefits and Responsibilities

November 2006

In August, 2000 professionals from more than 140 countries and a range of disciplines convened in Stockholm, Sweden for the 16th annual World Water Week. Hosted by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), World Water Week allows scientists, policymakers, United Nations representatives, and other interested parties to discuss a myriad of issues related to water. This year's meeting, "Beyond the River — Sharing Benefits and Responsibilities," had three goals:

  • Determine how to share the responsibilities and financial burdens of transboundary water supplies;
  • Find ways to limit natural resources consumption and improve waste-disposal methods; and
  • Brainstorm methods to cope with extreme environmental disasters such as tsunamis and hurricanes.

Unite for Water

During the Opening Session, speakers emphasized the pressing need for international cooperation to address water issues. "We need water solidarity in the world today," said Carin Jamtin, the Swedish Minister for International Development.

Jamtin advised her colleagues to view the world's diminishing fresh water supply as an emergency requiring international cooperation. His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange (The Netherlands) underscored the importance of foresight in attempting to solve problems like the one presented by Jamtin. The Prince proposed that success would come from "vision and genuine leadership."

Tomorrow's Leaders Innovate Today

The Prince's words resonated most with the 52 youngest attendees at the plenary session — the participants in the international Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) competition, celebrating its 12th anniversary this year. In collaboration with ITT Corporation (White Plains, N.Y.), which has sponsored the international competition for the past 10 years, the SJWP encourages students to explore water and environmental issues affecting their communities and to come up with ideas and solutions to the problems. The national SJWP finalists from 25 countries received an all-expense-paid trip to attend. World Water Week and compete for the international prize of $5,000 and a blue crystal sculpture in the shape of a water drop.

Each country's team was comprised of one to four members between 15 and 20 years of age who were attending, or had recently completed, secondary school. For the competition, members of each country presented explanatory posters of their projects and conducted interviews with three sets of juries. Project topics included:

  • Proposals to improve water quality in large bodies of water;
  • Solutions to reduce industrial and toxic wastewater;
  • Methods to increase potable drinking water;
  • Various modes of water conservation; and
  • Studies on the effects of water conditions on different species of animals and algae and the effect of water on terrain.

Teams from France, Poland, and Sweden paired scientific research with social action using their science projects as catalysts for change within their communities. For example, after discovering that Swedish bottled water contained much more bacteria than Swedish tap water, Joachim Westerlund convinced his secondary school to remove bottled water jugs and build water fountains.

Competition Bred Camaraderie

While the judging process proved arduous for most competitors, a spirit of camaraderie revailed. "I think everyone's nice, and I don't feel any type of competition. There's a harmony here," said Nagina Warraich of Denmark during the first day of judging. In fact, competitors were supportive of each other right through the announcement of the winners on the third day. At the SJWP awards ceremony Wang Hao, Weng Jie, and Xiao Yi of the Nanyang Model High School in Shanghai received the first-place award from Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.

According to the Nominating Committee, "The Chinese team … displayed originality, ingenuity, and tenacity in its use of lowcost, ecologically friendly technology to restore a polluted urban river channel."

The team from Sri Lanka was awarded a Diploma of Excellence and $500 for their method of conserving water in rice paddies. "Their research showed that by applying paddy straw mulch, water consumption in rice cultivation is reduced, while at the same time much needed organic matter is added to the soil. Further, this beneficial practice is relevant not only for Sri Lanka, but for all rice-producing countries," the Nominating Committee noted. The team members from the Senior High School in Japan were warded a Diploma of Excellence and $500 for their adaptation of the Wardian Case (a method used in the 19th century to grow plants in enclosed spaces) to create portable nurseries, which grow healthy rice seedlings with significantly less water than is used in current practices.

Their discovery will enable handicapped people to sell such plants for a livelihood, as the process requires little human attention. "The jury was thinking about the future of our project. While our project is currently helping disabled people in Japan, our principal could be used to help people in developing countries produce more food in the future," Sae Nishino said of Japan.

All three winning teams have plans to continue applying their discoveries to projects. Members of the teams will teach the younger students at their secondary schools about the work they have done for the SJWP so that, when they leave for university, the next generation will carry on their important work.

International Ingenuity Leads to Real World Water Solutions

The SJWP not only challenged students to come up with solutions to a range of water problems, but also gave them the opportunity to have an exchange of ideas that transcended national boundaries and cultures. In doing so, the SJWP students offered an example to World Water Week attendees of how world water dilemmas could be solved through international and cross-cultural exchange and cooperation.

"This [competition] encourages students to set high goals and to have more motivation to contribute to our nation and to our world," Wang Hao said.

Weng Jie added, "[The competition] is a good chance for communication. If we only stay in our nation, it's closed. This way, we have more exposure to the world."

Eighteen-year-old Alyse Ritvo covered World Water Week for WEF. She is the recipient of the ITT Award for Excellence in Student Water Journalism, and was chosen to provide coverage of World Water Week in Stockholm. She is currently a freshman at Harvard University (Cambridge, Mass.).