Awards:
WatSave awards refers to Water Saving awards. Recognizing the need for having an holistic approach involving all the stakeholders like farmers, corporates, government and civil society organizations to increase water productivity, using innovation and changes in existing policies, ICID constituted the WatSave Annual Award(s) in 1997 to identify and promote exceptional water conservation/saving practices in agriculture. They are presented every year to individuals or a team of individuals (including NGOs, Corporations, or Govt agencies) after evaluating actual realized savings; and not promising research results, plans or good ideas/intentions to save water. An autonomous international panel of judges adjudges the winners every year. The award consists of an honorarium of US$ 2000 and a citation plague. More details on WatSave awards may be obtained from https://icid.org/awards_ws.html
Out of the 47 invited countries, 10 countries accepted the invitation.However, USA, then the country with second largest irrigated area in the world, expressed its reservation. During the visit of Prime Minister to USA, the authorities in USA were also requested to join the initiative of the Government of India.It appears that USA was not against the establishment of the organization but wanted it to be under UN systems with headquarters in New York. This apparently was not acceptable to the Indian leadership as establishment of such an international organization was seen as a prestigious matter.Subsequently, at an Inter-Ministerial meeting, held on the 24 February 1950 the ICIC was established with the objective:
a.WatSave Innovative Water Management Award:
Presented to recognize
non-technological interventions and/or innovative land and water management
practices and policy interventions helping in increasing water availability for
different uses. It aims to identify new policies/approaches for water-saving
leading to the cost-effective and beneficial use of water (can be awarded to
individuals, team of individuals, corporations, NGOs and Govt agencies).
b.WatSave Technology Award:
Presented to recognize the work promoting
and encouraging the best technological applications or projects developed; which
have been successful in saving water and/or recovering wastewaters/low-quality
waters (can be awarded to individuals, team of individuals, corporations, NGOs
and Govt agencies).
c.WatSave Young Professionals Award:
Presented to recognize young
professionals (below 40 years) contributing to original research and innovative
water-saving techniques leading towards sustainability
d.WatSave Farmers’ Award:
Presented to farmer or farmer(s) who has
successfully developed or implemented water-efficient farming techniques in the
farms as well as the community.
The details of WatSave Winners from India are summarized below:
Award winners from India:
Name of the Award Winner | Year of Award | Title of the work |
Prof. Dr. Subhash Madhawrao Taley | 2011 | Participatory Rainwater Conservation of Rainfed Agriculture of Vidarbha Region (Maharashtra), India |
MessrsShahajiManikraoSomawanshi, Bharat Kawale and Sanjay MadhukarBelsare | 2009 | Transformation of irrigation through management transfer user group |
Er. Suresh. V. Sodal | 2004 | An initiative towards saving of water and sustainable Irrigation Management in Maharashtra State, India |
Award winners from India
Name of the Award Winner | Year of Award | Title of the work |
Dr. Yella Reddy, Mr. Satyanarayana and Mrs. G Andal | 2008 | Micro Irrigation: A Technology for Prosperity |
winners from India
Name of the Award Winner | Year of Award | Title of the work |
Ms Neelam Patel | 2006 | Water Banking? Micro Irrigation A technology to save water |
Er. Sanjay M. Belsare | 2001 | Participatory Irrigation Management in Katepurna Irrigation Project: A Success Story |
winners from India
Name of the Award Winner | Year of Award | Title of the work |
Mr. Mekala Siva Shankar Reddy | 2020 | Micro-Irrigation with Fertigation |
Mr. Karan Jeet Singh Chatha | 2019 | Water Conservation by use of Sprinkler & Drip Technologies in Paddy Crop |
Dr. Vijay SharadDeshmukh | 2017 | Effective Water Management through Farmer's Cooperative Interventions |
Mr. Chandra Shekhar H. Bhadsavle, Mr. Changdev K. Nirguda and Mr. Anil D. Nivalkar | 2016 | Saguna Rice Technique - Zero Till, Conservation Agriculture |
Bhagwan M. Kapse | 2015 | Group Farming and Micro Irrigation a Way to Prosperity |
Mr. Arvind NarayanraoNalkande | 2009 | Rainwater conservation through natural cracks in deep black soils |