LEDARS gets Zayed Sustainability Prize

Local Environment Development and Agricultural Research Society (LEDARS), a non-profit organisation, has received the ‘Zayed Sustainability Prize-2023’ for its integrated water resource management model that resolved water scarcity issues in disaster-prone southwest coastal areas.

United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan presented awards to the 10 winners of the 2023 Zayed Sustainability Prize in Abu Dhabi, said a press release.

At the prize-giving ceremony, Mohon Kumar Mondal, executive director of LEDARS received the trophy under the water category from Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Monday. 

LEDARS has developed an Integrated Water Resource Management Model with different highly efficient, low cost and user-friendly technologies like- Bio-sand filters (BSF), Pond-sand filters (PSF), rainwater harvesting systems (RWHS), protective ponds, canal re-excavation, Reverse Osmosis (RO), deep tube well for providing safe drinking water and supporting the cultivation of paddies and vegetables throughout the year on previously barren lands. LEDARS’s initiatives created access to safe drinking water for at least 15,881 families.

Through this award, LEDARS will be able to play a leading role in improving the quality of life of the climate-affected people of the southwest coastal area, the officials of LEDARS said. 

Besides, LEDARS also got ‘Excellent Third Prize of World Water Showcase in 7th World Water Forum in Korea, 2015’ and ‘Channel I-Standard Chartered Bank Agrow Award 2020’ and was selected as a finalist for the ‘Local Adaptation Champion Award 2022’. 

Meanwhile, in his remarks at the award ceremony, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed said, “The UAE continues to lead on important global initiatives and at the heart of our mission is to create a better future for all, both within the UAE and beyond our nation’s borders. The bold ambition of the Zayed Sustainability Prize remains at the forefront of these efforts. It creates a pathway for delivering life-changing humanitarian aid and solutions to communities around the world.”

The US$3 million Prize is the UAE’s pioneering global award in sustainability that recognises and rewards small and medium-sized enterprises, non-profit organisations and high schools around the world that are delivering impactful, innovative and inspiring solutions in health, food, energy and water sectors. 

Through its 96 former winners, the award has transformed the lives of more than 378 million people around the world since 2008, including in Vietnam, Nepal, Sudan, Ethiopia, Maldives and Tuvalu.