WatSave

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

The WatSave awards are given in the following four categories:

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:

Click here for details in this regard may be accessed

WatSave Innovative Water Management

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

WatSave Technology

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

WatSave Young Professional Award

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

WatSave Farmer Award

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