A Canadian of Indian origin and president of the Mexico City-based Third World Center for Water Management was on Wednesday named the 2006 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate.
Professor Asit K Biswas, a tireless water proponent, who constantly challenges the "status quo" and who helped foster a critical re-think among United Nations agencies, national governments, professional associations and others about how to improve delivery of water and sanitation services and management of water resources, was chosen for the prestigious global award founded in 1990.
The US $150,000 award is presented annually to an individual, organisation or an institution for outstanding water-related activities.
The activities can be within fields like education and awareness raising, human and international relations, research, water management and water-related aid.
Biswas will receive the award along with a glass sculpture during the 2006 World Water Week in Stockholm on August 20-26. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden is the patron of the Stockholm Water Prize.
'Professor Biswas is awarded the Stockholm Water Prize for his outstanding and multi-faceted contributions to global water resource issues, including research, education and awareness, water management, human and international relations in both developed and developing countries,' the Nominating Committee wrote in its citation.
'While many highly-qualified experts in aquatic disciplines distinguish themselves as academicians, others as practitioners, others as government advisors, and others as writers and lecturers, Professor Biswas with his wide knowledge is highly recognized in all of these areas and, most importantly, has over a broad front applied his skills internationally, thereby adding new dimensions to the wise use and management of the global water resources,' it said.
While many water experts have through the years contributed highly effective methodologies to the rational use and management of water resources, Professor Biswas as a science-driven water advocate fostered a new 'socio-economic and political climate' which enabled the effective translation of scientific and technical advances into meaningful measures.
Four of his many achievements, the committee said, exemplify his role as a global facilitator of international platforms where organisations and individuals can take concrete action on water.
For one, as the main scientific advisor to the Secretary-General of the United Nations Water Conference in Mar del Plata, Argentina, in 1977, Biswas helped formulate and promote the International Water Supply and Sanitation Decade. After approval of this initiative by the UN General Assembly, Biswas advised international and national institutions on how the decade could be implemented.
By all accounts, the committee said, the decade significantly improved the lives of millions of people in the developing world. During it, big strides were made in finding affordable technologies and participatory approaches to help serve those without access to improved water and sanitation services.
The decade also demonstrated conclusively that 'business as usual' would never bring improvements quickly enough to cope with the backlog and provide access to growing populations.
While conventional wisdom holds that water problems are similar in the developed and developing worlds, and that the same solutions apply, Biswas has always argued otherwise.
Biswas, together with the former UN Undersecretary-General Dr Peter Hansen, reviewed the work of all the UN agencies for the Mar del Plata Conference and advised on how the impact of their water-related activities could be maximized. The resulting so-called "Biswas-Hansen" recommendations influenced the way the UN system has worked with water thereafter.
Biswas chaired the Middle East Water Commission from 1993 to 1997, with the support of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation. He managed to involve high-level personalities from most countries in the region to review and assess the water problems in the region face to face.
The actual treaties on water issues between several countries were based on many of the recommendations of this Commission.
In water circles today, many experts counter the argument that water may be a source of conflict in the future with the empirical evidence that it, in fact, promotes collaboration of the kind which Biswas encouraged.
Concerned with the fact that potential water leaders of the next generation are not being heard at major international forums, he initiated a three-year program with the support of the Nippon Foundation, to select and mentor potential water leaders from all over the world who were below 40 years.
The remarkable success of this program is demonstrated by the fact that all the eight potential leaders he mentored now hold very senior positions.
A man of many roles many of his additional activities have also resulted in outstanding contributions to solve international and regional water problems.
As a scientist and educator, Biswas has acted as an advisor and confidant to policymakers in water and environmental management in 17 countries, to six heads of the United Nations agencies and to other intergovernmental and international organisations.
Biswas founded the International Journal of Water Resources Development and continued as Editor-in-Chief for the past 21 years.
He has been involved in the writing of 64 books, among them Water as a Focus for Regional Development.
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