STOCKHOLM, 25 March 2009 -- Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of the Sulabh Sanitation Movement in India, has been named the 2009 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate.
As the founder of the Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, Dr. Pathak is known around the world for his wide ranging work in the sanitation field to improve public health, advance social progress, and improve human rights in India and other countries. His accomplishments span the fields of sanitation technology, social enterprise, and healthcare education for millions of people in his native country, serving as a model for NGO agencies and public health initiatives around the world.
Since he established the Sulabh Sanitation Movement in 1970, Dr. Pathak has worked to change social attitudes toward traditional unsanitary latrine practices in slums, rural villages, and dense urban districts, and developed cost effective toilet systems that have improved daily life and health for millions of people. He has also waged an ongoing campaign to abolish the traditional practice of manual "scavenging" of human waste from bucket latrines in India while championing the rights of former scavengers and their families to economic opportunity, decent standards of living, and social dignity.
"The results of Dr. Pathak's endeavors constitute one of the most amazing examples of how one person can impact the well being of millions," noted the Stockholm Water Prize nominating committee in its citation. "Dr. Pathak's leadership in attaining these remarkable socio-environmental results has been universally recognised, and not least by those who have secured the freedom of human dignity as a consequence of his efforts."
Dr. Pathak will formally receive the 2009 Stockholm Water Prize at a Royal Award Ceremony and Banquet during the World Water Week in Stockholm this coming August...
For additional details, click here...
Learn more about:
» The Stockholm Water Prize and previous laureates
» The Stockholm Water Prize founders
» The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)
--
Other reports on this year's laureate:
• "Indian health crusader wins Stockholm water prize" [Reuters]
• "Indian sanitation expert wins Stockholm Water Prize" [Agence France Presse]
• "Indian wins US$150,000 water prize" [CBC News]
• "Sulabh founder named Stockholm Water Prize Laureate" [Business Standard India]
--
MORE FROM SIWI:
-- "SIWI release new report on 'Transboundary Water Opportunity Analysis'" [10 Mar 09]
-- "2009-2010 WASH Media Awards Call for Entries" [9 Mar 09]
-- "TWM Training Programme for the MENA Region Now Open for Applications" [4 Mar 09]
-- "Report: Water Adaptation in National Adaptation Programmes for Action" [3 Mar 09]
-- "Swedish Water House Launches New Website" [2 Mar 09]
-- "Implementation of CSD-13 policy actions on sanitation lag - the strengths of BORDA might help" [12 Feb 09]
-- "SIWI Contributes to UN-DESA Report: Status of Implementation of CSD-13 Policy Actions on Water and Sanitation" [30 Jan 09]
###
