3 students win Bangladesh Stockholm Junior Water Prize-2024

Three students were awarded in the 10th season of the "Bangladesh Stockholm Junior Water Prize-2024, at an event in Dhaka on Friday. 

The project titled: "High voltage plasma water purifier from E-waste' lead by Zabeer Zarif Akhter snatched the first position in the competition.

He will represent Bangladesh at the 'Stockholm Junior Water Prize to be held in Swedish capital in August. Winners of 40 others countries will also attend the event. 

The projects led by Alman Sikder and Abrar Abir, and AZM Emtenan Kabir came out as the runners-up of the water contest. 

A total of 168 participants aged 15-20 years took part in the competition with 46 projects. Eleven papers were selected for the final stage, aligning with the competition's aim to amplify youth voices and foster actionable solutions to water-related challenges.

The event, graced by the presence of Ambassador of Sweden in Dhaka, Alexandra Berg von Linde, highlighted the pressing need for innovative solutions to global water challenges.

Addressing the event, she stressed the urgent impact of climate change on water accessibility and underscored the role of young minds in devising solutions. 

"We can all agree on the fact that the planet no longer functions the way it once did. The impact of climate change is having a profound negative effect on our communities, on our societies, but also on access to water," said Linde. 

Special guest Raphael Nwozor, WASH manager and OIC of WASH chief at the UNICEF Bangladesh, said, "Bangladesh is a nation with abundance of water resources, in our many rivers, extensive groundwater resources, but yet played with the paradox of water scarcity in terms of quality." 

Citing a survey, Raphael said about 80% of vacant water at the household level is contaminated with bad elements. 

"We also face other challenges in terms of equitable distribution of these water resources. There are also challenges connected with economic custody. As we continue using groundwater, the level of groundwater is going below and below in terms of developing water levels." The UNICEF official added.

The event was coordinated by the national organiser, the House of Volunteers (HOV), in collaboration with the WaterAid Bangladesh, the UNICEF, and the ITN-BUET, with technical support from ESTex and media support from The Business Standard.