Japan Water Grand Prize Announced

On March 30, 2006, the judging committee for the 8th Japan Water Grand Prize (JWGP) selected two groups to be awarded: the Environmental Engineering Section of Fukui Agriculture and Forestry High School (FAFHS) of Fukui Prefecture, and the Asuwa River Dam Land Improvement Association (ARDLIA) for "their joint environmental activities to develop fish ladders, small waterways for fish in rice paddies" and "revitalizing river life by linking rice paddies and waterways." The Japan Stockholm Junior Water Grand Prize (JSJWGP) went to the Katsura High School of Kyoto, for its effort in creating the ultimate water supply system, under the slogan "Small Case, Big Possibility," to help secure food supplies for the world's future 9 billion people.

FAFHS and the ARDLIA conducted local research together for ecological preservation, developed fish waterways, and also taught local children about waterways. Their efforts both in education and ecological preservation were highly commended for the prize.

Katsura High School researched possibilities to solve the world food crisis with "Wardian Cases, " simple glass containers in which plants grow with a minimum of water. The committee recognized the school's efforts to utilize Wardian Cases' plant retention capacity to increase agricultural productivity, as well as the students' enthusiastic involvement in production, improvement of the cases, plant selection and observations of the processes involved.

The JWGP was established on June 22, 1998, by the committee, to support and commend various activities that help create safe, clean and odor-free water environments in the twenty-first century. This unique national award supports researchers in the water environment field, both individuals and organizations. The winners are overall achievers who contribute to the society in creating good water cycles.



Posted: 2006/08/02 10:22:24 AM
Japanese version