DESIGN: QUADRATA

Finalists
2005 Stockholm
Junior Water Prize

The Stockholm
Junior Water Prize
Water and Young People – Linked to the Future

The international Stockholm
Junior Water Prize contest
aims to encourage young
people’s interest in issues
concerning water and theenvironment.
The award is given annually foran outstanding water project by
a young person or a small groupof young people. With this, thecompetition seeks to inspireyoung people to a continued
engagement in water and related subjects.
While the global water environment remains in peril, the future
depends on our ability to manage this life-sustaining resource.
Today’s youth are indeed tomorrow’s leaders and must be encouraged to pursue water-related careers or our scarce supply risk
further erosion.
The ﬁnalists at the international Stockholm Junior Water Prize
competition are the winners of national SJWP contests. The national and international competitions are open to pre-university young
people up to the age of 20 who have conducted water-related
projects focusing on local, regional, national or global topics ofenvironmental, scientiﬁc, social or technological importance.
The international Stockholm Junior Water Prize winner receives
a USD 5,000 award and a blue crystal sculpture in the shape of awater droplet. The national competitions have inspired young people around the world to become active in water issues.
HRH Crown Princess Victoria of
Sweden is the Patron of theStockholm Junior Water Prize.

Finalists 2005

Argentina

Australia

Alimentary Behaviour of Belostoma elongatum
and Their Sanitary ImportanceMulti-Tiered Wetlands – A Technique for Improving
the Efficiency of Artificial Wetlands

By Antonio de al Cruz Cáceres and Ricardo Martín Robledo

By Andrew Stewart

In the area around San Roque-Corrientes in North Eastern
Argentina, diseases spread by mosquitoes and molluscs
planorbidae (Biomphalaria sp.) are causing great problems.
These species occur commonly in water bodies in and aroundthe city and are therefore of sanitary interest.
The two students have investigated the importance ofa water bug (Belostoma elongatum) as a bio control agent
against these vectors of different illnesses in the area, as analternative to chemical methods. The ﬁnalists have madeexperiments to test if Belostoma elongatum actually prefers
to ingest different stages of larvae of both mosquitoes andmolluscs when fed simultaneously with alternative food.
Their results imply that independent of the type and densityof alternative food, B. elongatum ingested prey of medical importance. Therefore, this water bug would constitute an alternative to
be considered in the population control of both disease spreading
mosquitoes and molluscs, especially in temporary water bodies,
where these organisms are considerably developed.

Central to our survival on this planet is access to water thatis clean and free from pollutants. Every year the sourcesthat pollute our precious water supplies grow as wetlands
are reduced. Wetlands play an essential role in the quality ofwater. They remove nutrients before they can give life to toxic
blooms of algae. Some of these algal blooms can release
substances that are up to 300 times the toxicity of cyanide
and cannot be removed by the most modern of treatment
facilities. Each year up to 80 percent of Australian waterways
experience blooms of varying toxicity.
Andrew Stewart has investigated the ability of a common
wetland sedge to reduce the nutrient concentration of efﬂuents. His ﬁndings have led to the concept of using wetlands
in multiple tiers that dramatically improve the nutrient removal
compared to current practice. The multi-tiered wetland system
could help reduce the frequency of toxic algal blooms andwould be a cheap, efﬁcient and ecologically beneﬁcial waterﬁltration system for developing countries where waterways are
frequently polluted by agricultural run-off and sewage.

Benin

Cameroon

Let Us Make Available to the Rural Populations
Surface Water Like Potable Drinkable Water

Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
for Water and Sanitation in Cameroon: What Does it Take?

By Landry K. O. Chokpon, Ariane W. Eglo and A. Rodrigue Houngbo

By Raoul Andjongo, Elizabeth F. M. Atang and
Mojoko Clara

According to a UNESCO report related to water issues, “50 % of
the population of developing countries are exposed to polluted
water sources”. The ﬁnalists from Benin have made a projectaiming at improving the water quality for the local people andhave also increased their awareness of illnesses related tothe use of contaminated water around the Djetonou pond in
Lokossa Municipality in Benin. The group have investigated thepresent habits of water use in the area and have also takenwater samples, showing that the water in the pond contained awide variety of pollutants including coliform micro organisms.
The ﬁnalists have created a “Drinking Water Station”, bymodifying a traditional jar. It contains a ﬁlter and an addition ofchlorine, and is able to clean the water in an easy and cheap
way. At the same time, the water station makes clean water
available for the local community. Another part of the project
has been to educate a team of ﬁve local women how to use
the water station and why it is important.

The overall objective of this group’s project was to illustrate
the importance of water in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Africa generally and Cameroon inparticular, the efforts needed by government at all levels andkey stakeholders to combat the country’s most plaguing problems. The data used for their work was primarily based on the
Water for African Cities (WAC) II Programme documents andthe Rapid Gender Assessment Reports (RGA) for the cities ofDouala – the economic capital and Yaoundé – the politicaland administrative capital of Cameroon.
The project aims to show how poverty, hunger, environmental problems and diseases would be directly combatedand signiﬁcantly scaled back if fought with water access as a
primary goal, how child and maternal mortality rates would
drop, and how other important issues including education andgender equality would indirectly beneﬁt from achieving safe
drinking water and basic sanitation targets within the MDGs andother international targets. The project concluded with the key
objectives necessary to meet up with the international targets.

3

Finalists 2005

CanadaChile

Macro-Invertebrate Sampling Technology (MIST)

Comparative Study of Toxicity in Sediment, Obtainedof Coastal Places With Diverse Anthropogenic Activities, Evaluated by Bioassay with Emerita analoga

By Patrick Danielson and Robin Miron
Eurasian zooplankton species alien to Canadian lakes, some ofwhich are large macro-invertebrates such as the spiny water ﬂea,
are poised to potentially disrupt life in northern Ontarian lakes
and create serious economic hardship. Due to their distribution
and swimming abilities macro-invertebrates can be difﬁcult tosample and survey, therefore Patrick Danielson and Robin Miron
have evolved a new sampling technique to quantify abundance
and to better understand the biology of these insects.
Their project involved the development of an innovative,
ﬂow-through sampler that can sample, in real time, macro-invertebrates such as Mysis relicta and Bythotrephes longimanus.
The collected data can be used to create three-dimensional
charts either in real time or under controlled lab conditions.
Drawn diagonally, their sampler can scan the water column todetermine macro-invertebrate organism location prior to sending
down other quantitative samplers.

By Patricio Cuevas Neira and Claudio Opazo Fernandes
As a result of the inadequate practices of natural resourcesmanagement and a rapid growth of cities, a deterioration of theenvironment which has taken place in Chile affects the qualityof life. Talcahuano is considered one of the most contaminated places in the world, because of serious atmospheric andaquatic pollution problems. A commission of experts, led by
the National Commission of the Environment (CONAMA), wascreated to study the problem and to propose solutions.
The toxicity of sediments from San Vicente, Talcahuano
and Penco´s bays was veriﬁed and compared by using abioassay with the marine crustacean Emerita analoga, in
Claudio Opazo Fernandes and Patricio Cuevas Neira’s project.
In the bioassay, ten specimens at natural condition and no
food, were exposed to sediments from the different areas intriplicate for 96 hour at 13ºC. Sediment from the bay where
the organisms had been collected (Cocholgue Bay) wasused as a control. Finally the number of dead organisms wascounted. The results showed a mortality rate of 100% for theorganisms with sediments from San Vicente and Talcahuano
Bays, while the organisms from Cocholgue and Penco´s Bays,
showed low or no mortality at all.

China

Denmark

Preliminary Study on Utilizing Wastewater of Beverage
Production for Heterotrophic Cultivation of Chlorella
Which Can Be Used for Preparation of Liquid Bio-Fuel

Dip-stick Test for Heavy Metals in Drinking Water

By Lun Nian

Pollution of drinking water is a serious problem. If people could
test their own drinking water they would not have to worry. This
would also be useful when travelling or hiking and not knowing
the quality of the drinking water. Therefore Sebastian Ravn and
Rasmus Buch Møller came up with the idea to make a simple
test for heavy metals in drinking water.
The group has developed a dip-stick test which can detectnickel or copper in drinking water. Due to chemical reactions,the stick will change colour (from colourless to blue or red) if
one of the two heavy metals is present in the water. A stick likethis can be used to test the water quality and thus it can reassure you that what you drink is not polluted with these heavy
metals. Further development of these dip-sticks would allow
them to detect several additional heavy metals, pesticides orbacteria such as salmonella. The environmental impact of the
production of the sticks has also been investigated and evaluated to be minimal.

Energy shortage and environmental pollution are the two largest
constraints for economic development in China in the 21st century. To alleviate these two problems through modern biotechnology is an insightful and creative idea, which becomes feasible
as modern biological science and technology quickly develops.
Beverages are commonly consumed, and the production
processes use large volumes of water and generate large volumes of wastewater. Some of the wastewater contains sugar.
The idea behind this project is to use sugar-containing wastewater from a beverage production line as a medium to cultivate
Chlorella with high lipid content in the lab. The Chlorella cells
can then be used to produce bio-fuel. Hence, it is possible toobtain renewable bio-fuel, reduce wastewater volumes andcost of beverage production, and at the same time improvethe environment. Through this interdisciplinary research covering bio-technological, environmental, and energy sciences,
the result of the project provided a new useful way to dispose
wastewater and generate bio-energy.

4

By Rasmus Buch Møller and Sebastian Ravn

Finalists 2005

Estonia

FranceFluoride Content in Drinking Water of West Estonia

Precision Farming in the Champagne-Ardenne Region

By Tiina Tusti

By Mathieu Bruyen and Angèle Soria

Groundwater is a main source of public water in Estonia, andﬂuoride is a natural element found in various concentrations
in groundwater. Fluoride is a beneﬁcial nutrient for humans indevelopment of teeth and bones, but it has toxic effects inhigh doses (causing dental and skeletal ﬂuorosis).
The aim of Tiina Tusti’s study was to measure the ﬂuoride
content in drinking water in West Estonia and to assess the
exposure to the local population. Public water supplies serving at least 100 inhabitants were included in the study, and in
total 179 water samples were taken of tap water in 141 towns
and villages. The ﬂuoride concentration was measured colorimetrically using SPADNS method. In West Estonia 1/3 of thewater samples contained more ﬂuoride than the permissible
limit of 1.5 mg/l. High ﬂuoride content was mainly a problem
for the small water supply systems. On the other hand, herstudy showed that 5.7 % of the population uses low-ﬂuoride
water, which increases its risk of getting dental cavities.

Just like in many other regions in France, the land use in thenorth eastern region of Champagne-Ardenne mainly consistsof animal farming and agriculture. Both of these activities
may cause increased levels of nutrients, such as nitrates, inthe ground water, making it unsuitable for drinking water purposes. The group has conducted interviews with farmers in
the area to become more familiar with farming practices andto better understand the farmer’s point of view when discussing environmental concerns.
The idea of precision farming is to study the yield fromeach individual ﬁeld in detail, and then to calculate appropriate
levels of fertilisers for different parts of each ﬁeld – to obtaina maximum yield with a minimum input of fertilisers. By using
a special harvester with a combined GPS receiver and a computer, a detailed yield map of each ﬁeld could be drawn, andthe amount of fertilisers used could then be adapted to thepotential yield within each ﬁeld. The students have designed
the machines themselves as a part of this project.

GermanyIndia

H2S-Problem of Wastewater

Water: Yours or Mine? – Harvesting Water for All

By Tobias Hahn

By Saurabh Kumar

During warm summer days the smell from wastewater canbecome a real problem in many cities, and the cause of thisproblem is the content of hydrogen sulphate (H2S) in thewastewater. The formation of H2S is favoured through higher
concentrations of compounds in wastewater, longer retention times in the closed systems (pressure pipes) and lower
wastewater ﬂow rate. This gives the sulphur bacteria a longer
time to consume the dissolved oxygen and produce H2S.
Tobias Hahn has developed a measuring device for direct
analyses of H2S in wastewater, based on coulometric titrationof H2S with iodine and an optical end point indicator as wellas an easy-to-use method for reducing the levels of H2S inwater. To reduce the levels of H2S, the water is passed througha long tube with many small holes, so that the water gets aerated when getting in contact with fresh air. Both the measuring
device and the aeration method were tested on a large pond
and showed good results after only 18 days of treatment.

Residents of Usari village in Azamgarh district in North India
faced severe water problems, when Saurabh Kumar ﬁrst came
there for a holiday with his parents. The people in the village
had to depend on sources of water like bore wells or tankers.
Due to reduced water pressure, people faced water problems,and sometimes they did not get water for several consecutive days. During the summers they had to depend on twoor three external water tankers, bringing water to the village.
There was some bore well water supply, but as the nearby
areas also started using it, even that source was exhausted.
With the help of local people, Saurabh Kumar organised
the residents to solve their water problems. He informed
them about Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) techniques andtheir beneﬁts. A technique like RWH on house roofs in thevillage managed to raise the ground water table. The watercontent under the ground could be maintained with this technique and thus helped in curbing the water problem.

5

Finalists 2005

IsraelItaly

Development of a Rapid, Accurate and Inexpensive
Sedimentograph for the Characterization of Soil
Suspensions in Water Conveyance System

Water’s Diatom CSI – a New MethodologicalApproach for the Calculation, Study and Investigationof Superficial Waters Quality

By Nitzan Bustan

By Mattia Zamaro

Flowing water, in nature or in artiﬁcial systems, contains solid
particles, which take part in erosion processes and impact
the environment and the way water is used. Characterising
the composition of sediments and particle size distribution
is important in trying to predict the processes of erosion andsedimentation, which may determine the fate of river transportation projects, reservoirs construction and irrigation. Drip irrigation technology, which makes a tremendous contribution tomodern agriculture, is particularly sensitive to clogging causedby particles in the water. Particle characterisation in water
resources is, therefore, of great importance in improving thedesign, adaptation and reliability of drip systems. The objective of the present work was to develop a fast, accurate andinexpensive sedimentograph instrument, to be used by ﬁeld
laboratories to predict problems in irrigation sites.
The instrument designed in this project successfully
characterised the particle size distribution of soil suspension
samples agreeing with independently accepted methods. At
present, an improved instrument is being designed, which
hopefully also will be able to aid in water desalination engineering, which shares similar problems.

Traditional methods to analyse water quality are very limited,since they are restricted to an analytical approach. Following
the recently implemented European legislation (Water Framework Directive, CE 2000/60), concerning the use of biologicalindices when determining water quality, alternative methods
using an ecosystem approach are receiving more attention.
In his project, Mattia Zamaro has proposed the use of a method based on the identiﬁcation of a class of algae; the diatoms.
The survey method of water quality aims at detecting pollution in
many different areas in the ecosystem – physical, chemical andmicrobiological – by analysing the diatom community according to
the EPI-D (Eutrophication-Pollution Index with Diatoms) method.
The ﬁnalist has tested the method in the river Natisone, andcompared the results with other conventional methods, and foundthat this relatively new method corresponded well and can serve
as a complement to other methods, or replace them where, forexample, data on macro invertebrates can be difﬁcult to obtain.

Japan

LatviaDragonflies are the Messengers of Water Environment(Making a pond “Home Pond” by collecting andresearching dragonflies)

The Measurement of Water Hardness in Underground
Waters of Marupe

By Chihiro Sato and Keisuke Yamagami
Since 1990, the Science Research Club of Keisuke Yamakami
and Chihiro Sato’s high school has been collecting data on
the changes of the water quality, vegetation and the dominant
species of the dragonﬂies in and around the Tonneusu Marshlocated near their school.
Analysing these important data collected by seniors– including the authors – they found that the number anddiversity of dragonﬂies decreased, due to the deterioration ofwater quality and the progress of siltation and sedimentation.
They also discovered that the number of dragonﬂies could
increase and become more diverse with artiﬁcial operations
such as dredging and removing emerging plants. The clubmembers with local residents have been working hard to
keep a high level of biodiversity, and to maintain a community
marsh, a “Satonuma”, where human and nature can co-exist.

6

By Zane Eglite
Water hardness is an actual problem in the village of Marupe,
and in entire Latvia. It results from a rather high content of
dolomite and rock gypsum in Latvian bedrock. Zane Eglite’s
research objectives were how hardness is created, how it canbe prevented, and what the problems caused by water being
hard exactly are.
Water hardness in the village of Marupe was measured, andits dependence on geological location was analyzed as well as
the effectiveness of different ﬁlters in lowering water hardness.
She concluded that hard water degrades the taste, causes
more incrustation of pots, fades the colour of clothes, etc. The
test results showed that there was quite hard water in Marupe,
but that ﬁlters could decrease the water hardness, dependingon the length of time they had been used and their quality.

Finalists 2005

Lithuania

MexicoHydro Chemical Analysis of the Lakes of Trakai:
Assessment of the Present Situation and Search for
New Analysis Methods

Calcite and Hematite: Hunters of Water Souls (theRadiative Cooling, a Promise for Obtaining Water)

By Laurynas Pliuškys

By Liliana Vargas-Meneses and Itzel García-Silva

There are plenty of lakes in the surroundings of Trakai. Every year
new negative effects of human activity are noticed. For example,
ﬁsh were jumping out of the water because of lack of oxygen in
the year 2002, and the following year, the pH rose up to 10,75.
The aims of Laurynas Pliuškys’ project were to measure
the water quality of the lakes of Trakai and to compare it withformer results, to determine the intensity of eutrophicationand other processes, as well as to establish a rapid and simple
heavy metals determination method. The author investigatedwater samples taken during all four seasons from different
water layers in the lakes of Trakai. Compared with data from thetwo previous years, an obvious deterioration of the situation
could be noticed. The concentration of biogenic materials, fromwhich the intensity of plant vegetation depends, had increased.
In addition, a new biosensor, based on the inhibition of the
enzyme glucose dehydrogenase was established together withthe scientists at a biochemistry institute.

The objective of these ﬁnalists’ work was to show that radiative
cooling can be used as a method to collect water by increasing
the condensation on glass windows or other surfaces. Two minerals, calcite and hematite, were deposited on glass slides toincrease the infrared radiation to the range between 3–20 µm,
also called the radiative cooling zone. When the radiative cooling zone increases, the cooling of the surface will increase, andthe dew point (DP), also depending on the temperature (T) andthe relative humidity (RH) in the surrounding air, will decrease,and more condensed water can be collected.
An experimental system was constructed with an array ofdifferent combinations: glass/calcite, glass without mineral,and glass/hematite. The system was called “the system ofradiative plates”. The results obtained indicated that the glass/hematite plate lowered the dew point most and collected 1.5
millilitres of water, while the glass/calcite plate only collected
0.75 millilitres. However, both plates performed better than
the glass without mineral.

NorwayPolandVigda – Can the Freshwater Pearl Mussel Live Here?

Report on Dzierzecinka River Water Quality in theKsiazat Pomorskich City Park in Koszalin

By Ida Christiansen, Hege Solfeldt and Kristin B. Svendsen
The Freshwater Pearl Mussel is an endangered species livingin the River Vigda. However, its habitat is threatened by physical changes and water quality degradation. The Pearl Mussel
needs water that is oxygen rich and low in nutrient content tolive and breed successfully, but recently fertilizer runoff fromsurrounding agricultural activities has increased.
The Norwegian group’s project was based on the questions: How do the water chemistry conditions in the River
Vigda compare to conditions of good ecological status? Will
the Freshwater Pearl Mussel be able to live in the river given
the current and future environmental impacts and changes?
The ﬁnalists carried out a water analysis of nitrate and phosphate content, hardness, pH and turbidity in order to evaluate
the conditions for the Freshwater Pearl Mussel in the River Vigda.
They concluded that the mussel can only survive and reproduce
successfully far upstream, since the water downstream is toohigh in nutrients and too turbulent to accommodate its needs.
Therefore they support suggested actions, such as accumulation
ponds in the contributing rivulets, to improve the conditions for
the Freshwater Pearl Mussel.

By Pavel Kogut, Agata Wawrzyniak and Marivsz Wojcik
As it ﬂows through industrial and agricultural areas, as well as thecity of Kozalin, the Dzierzecinka River becomes severely polluted.
The aim of this group’s study was to conduct regular measurements to investigate the water quality of the Dzierzecinka
River, which not only involved controls of possible sewage leakages, but also swift action to ﬁnd the source of pollution andremove pollutants.
Therefore, they tested the water quality of the river every
week for 18 months. In their tests they considered temperature,amount of dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, and alkalinity
as well as amount of dissolved nitrogen substances, transparency and pH. In addition, they complemented the abiotic measurements with studies of the aquatic fauna. They concluded that
although the river water was polluted it would not affect thequality of drinking water in the town.

7Finalists 2005

Russian Federation

South Africa

The Largest Siberian Water Reservoir– Protect Clean Water for People

Nocturnal Hydro Minimiser

By Natasha Baturina

By Pontso Moletsane, Motobele Motshodi
and Sechaba Ramabenyane

The Novosibirsk water reservoir is the largest (1090 sq.m)
artiﬁcial water body in Western Siberia, created in 1959 forelectricity generation. Today it is an important source of drinking water supply to 1.7 million people.
The aim of Natasha Baturina’s paper was to describe thepresent situation and forecast the environmental status of thereservoir. To achieve this, she analysed available scientiﬁc data
to outline the importance of the Novosibirsk reservoir for continuous water supply. She also collected samples for sanitaryand hygienic assays, investigated the hydrological and climaticconditions as well as evaluated the environmental status of
the aquatic biosensors based on the self-puriﬁcation capability of the reservoir. She found a broad diversity of macrozoobenthos species in rivulets and springs suggesting that it
functions as a reserve replenishing the species compositionin the Novosibirsk reservoir and facilitating the self-puriﬁcation
function. Natasha also took part in activities to increase publicawareness of local population and several activities in orderto clear and safeguard the shore.

South Africa has very low annual rainfalls combined with highevaporation levels which results in some communities experiencing water scarcity that adversely affects the everyday livesof people. Also, research has shown that 35% of the waterof an average household is used for irrigating gardens, which
affects the limited water resources.
Therefore the group have developed a revolutionary solution called the Nocturnal Hydro Minimiser. The electricallyoperated automatic watering system was designed to use
water efﬁciently for irrigation by activating the water tap atnight when evaporation levels were very low. The productensured that gardens were only watered when the soil had
lost the necessary moisture needed by plants, thereby saving the very limited water resources. The Nocturnal Hydro
Minimiser was outﬁtted with four electrodes inserted in the
ground in order to detect the moisture levels that determine
when the water tap was activated.
The Nocturnal Hydro Minimiser has great potential to
improve the lives of many rural communities in South Africa
by ensuring that their gardens produce the much needed
food while saving the very limited water resources.

Spain

SwedenOil/Water Bottom Tar in the Mediterranean Sea.
Oil in the Foraminifera

Wet Cotton = Cool Fish

By Wenny Poon

By Marc Campeny and Marc Oliva Bernal
Oil is a signiﬁcant polluting element which affects beaches,organisms, and human beings. Its effects usually only appear on
the news when an oil ship dumps oil into the water.
The authors have discovered that, apart from big tar layers,
there exists a ﬁne layer of micro tar particles at the bottom of theMediterranean Sea, as deep down as 380 m. These particles are
the result of continuous pollution from the continent. Small protozoa –Foraminifera – accumulates the tar in its shell overtures,
which keeps it solid. As the contaminated Foraminifera eventually dies it is diluted in the sea, and consequently, only grains oftar remain. These micro tar particles affects humans through skincontact in reconstructed beaches, consumption of ﬁsh, or eventhrough drinking processed sea water.
This is why these ﬁnalists propose more and stricter controls
to estimate the real degree of danger for humans to be affected.
Their research shows that polluting seawater, even if it is done
most inconspicuously, can bring serious consequences.

8

Selling ﬁsh is one of the most important means for poor
women in the Lake Victoria area to sustain their families. They
often have to transport the ﬁsh from the beaches or local markets over vast distances to sell it at larger ﬁsh markets. Due
to insufﬁcient possibilities to keep the ﬁsh cold during transport, it is often unﬁt for human consumption at arrival, whichcauses the women to forfeit their daily income. Conventionalcooling methods, such as electrical refridgerators or ice, are
not realistic or affordable alternatives for these women.
Wenny Poon has tested different methods to keep ﬁshcold for as long as possible in a warm climate, using simple
and inexpensive materials. The basic principle, on which she
has based her experiments, is that when water evaporates, itcreates a cooling effect. Using small polystyrene boxes, shetested an array of water saturated covering materials, such as
cotton, wool, paper, and charcoal powder. Cotton proved tobe the most effective of the tested materials, with respect toreducing the heating process.

Finalists 2005

UkraineUSA

Biological Monitoring and Sanitary Cleaning by
Renewable Energy Sources of the Small Rivers andReservoirs on an Example of Ukraine

Removal of Arsenic From Drinking Water by Water
Hyacinths

By Anastasiya Bibel, Nadiya Kovalinska andAndriy Bilas
The objective of the Ukrainian project was to investigate and evaluate the possibility to use medical leeches of the species Hirudo
medicinalis as a bio-indicator of water pollution. Another part ofthe project was focusing on the development of a new method forwater puriﬁcation through a simple “purifying water pump”.
The tests with the medical leech were carried out withwater sampled from seven different stations in the river
Hniza, surrounded by different activities such as industries,
agriculture and a municipal wastewater plant. The results
showed that the level of pollution was especially high inindustrial and agricultural zones and, in spring, down stream
from the water purifying station. The analyses conﬁrmed thehigh level of sensitivity of leeches as a bio indicator, and thetest of water quality based on leeches may be recommended
as an inexpensive and sensitive method for express-analysis
of water quality in small rivers, which are not controlled effectively by government or municipal institutions.

By Kathryn VanderWeele Snyder
Arsenic poisoning is an important issue in Bangladesh, whereat least thirty percent of the water wells have an arseniclevel above the drinking water standard. Phytoremediation,
the process of using plants to remove pollutants from soil orwater, by water hyacinths (Eichhornia crassipes) represents a
potential solution to the arsenic problem.
The purpose of the ﬁnalist’s project was to determine forhow long the same water hyacinths could be used effectively,
to reduce arsenic concentrations and to determine where theseplants store the arsenic. These were important questions tobe solved if this system would be implemented in Bangladesh
because, at some point, the plants would have to be replaced
due to efﬁciency loss. She visually assessed plant health,weighed the plants and tested the arsenic concentration of
the water over multiple trials using a colorimetric test kit. Her
results proved that water hyacinths are capable of substantiallyreducing arsenic levels, even to the Bangladeshi drinking water
standard (50 ppb), for two treatment periods.

VietnamUsing Clay and Paper Fibre to Treat Waste Waterin the Bay Mau Lake in the Thong Nhat Park, Hanoi

By Nguyen Thi Thu Trang
The Bay Mau Lake serves not just as a catchment tank for
rainwater, as a reservoir for intake of wastewater, as a wastewater treatment pond, but also as a recreation area. Currently
the Bay Mau Lake is polluted at an alarming rate.
Nguyen Thi Thu Trang has carried out a study on the waterpollution level and the sources of pollution. The study revealed
that the lake was polluted mainly by domestic wastewater
discharge from households in the area, with a total of about
800,000 inhabitants. The author proposed to use bio-treatmentof the water discharge, to build a pumping station and to introduce ﬁsh farming in the bay as well as raising environmental
awareness of the public. Clay-paper ﬁbre mixture could be used
for the biological treatment of wastewater at the inlets. Treatment of the water using a clay and paper ﬁbre mixture for ﬁltration and plantation of aquatic plants such as lotus and water lily
would provide oxygen for the aquatic environment of the lake.

The SJWP International
Nominating Committee
Dr. Magnus Enell (Chair), Sweden
Mr. Björn von Euler, USA
Dr. Nighisty Ghezae, Sweden
Prof. Petr Grau, Czech RepublicProf. Nuhu Hatibu, Tanzania
Ms. Linda Kelly, USA
Prof. Saburo Matsui, Japan
Dr. Eeva-Liisa Poutanen, Finland
Associated Prof. Ines Restrepo-Tarquino, Colombia
Ms. Frida Lanshammar (Secretary), SIWI, Sweden

9

Stockholm Junior Water Prize Winners

2004 Finalists

2004

2000

Tsutomu Kawahira, Daisuke Sunakawa and Kaori Yamaguti
from Japan won the Prize for the development and application of an environmentally friendly organic fertiliser for the
Miyako Island. The method is applicable to many places
around the world.

Ashley Mulroy from the USA won the Prize for a contemporary project that investigated how inefﬁcient wastewater treatment processes can lead not only to antibiotic contaminationin American waterways, but also to progressive resistanceamong harmful bacteria to those same antibiotics that once
controlled them.

2003

1999

Claire Reid, South Africa, won the Prize for an innovative,
practical, easily applicable technique for planting and successfully germinating seeds in water-scarce areas to improve ruraland peri-urban livelihoods.

2002

Katherine Holt, USA, won the Prize for research that lookedat how foreign species could be introduced to beneﬁt the
Chesapeake Bay while preserving the bay’s native oyster species and meeting national environmental goals.

2001

Magnus Isacson, Johan Nilvebrant and Rasmus Öman from
Sweden won the Prize for their innovative and relevant
research on the use of natural materials to remove metals inleachate from landﬁlls.

10

Rosa Lozano, Elisabeth Pozo and Rocío Ruiz from Spain won
the Prize for an innovative project that used sea urchins,
starﬁsh and sea cucumbers to measure the effectiveness ofan EU beach protection program on Spain’s western Mediterranean coast.

1998

Robert Franke from Germany won the Prize for his design of
the Aquakat, a solar-powered, ﬂow-through reactor for thetreatment of industrial wastewater.

1997

Stephen Tinnin from the USA became the ﬁrst international
Stockholm Junior Water Prize winner for research that investigated the correlation between the reproductive rate of sea
urchins and water pollution.

National Organisers and Sponsors
Argentina: Asociacion Argentina de Ingeniería Sanitaria y Cienciasdel Ambiente (AIDIS- Argentina), Sudamericana de Aguas S.A,
Flygt Argentina S.A., ENOHSA, Subsecretaría de Recursos Hidricos dela Nación, ETOSS – Ente Tripartito de Obras y Servicios Sanitarios
Australia: Australian Water Association (AWA), Melbourne Water,
Australian Water Services Pty Ltd., ITT Flygt Limited
Benin: Kajola Centre, MEHU (Ministère de l’Environnement de l’Habitat
et de l’Hurbanisme), Swedish Institute, ADE YOUS AWAD International
Cameroon: Cameroon Vision Trust, The Water Environment Scienceand Technology (WEST) Fund, Swedish Institute
Canada: Western Canada Water Environment Association, Canadian
Water and Wastewater Association, Water Environment Federation,
ITT Flygt, British Columbia Water and Wastewater Association,
Water Environment Association of Ontario, Réseau Environment Inc.,
Atlantic Canada Water Works Association
Chile: Dirección General de Aguas MOP, ANDESS, Aguas Andinas
S.A., Diario El Mercurio, AIDIS Chile, Comite Chileno del PHI, SOCHID,
Embajada de Suecia en Chile, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural,
Escuela de Ingenería de la U. de Chile, Escuela de Ingenería de la U.
de Catolica, Faculdad de Ingeniería de la U. de Concepcion, Fanaloza,
Metro S.A., ALHSUD Chile, Ministerio de Educacion, Educar Chile.
China: The Center for Environmental Education & Communications ofState Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA CEEC), ITT Industries
Denmark: Unge Forskere
Estonia: Estonian Institute for Sustainable Development, Tallinn Water Ltd,
Tallinn City Government, Estonian Institute for Sustainable Development
Finland: Water Association Finland, The Land and Water Technology
Foundation Finland, Kemira Chemicals Ltd., Uponor Finland Ltd.,
Ekokem Ltd., Helsinki Water Ltd.
France: Ofﬁce Francais de la Fondation pour l’éducation à l’environment,
Lyonnaise des Eaux France (groupe Suez Environnement), ITT Flygt
SAS and Agence de l’Eau Seine Normandie

Latvia: Education, Youth and Sports Department of Riga City Council,
Riga Water,
Lithuania: Ecological Club Žvejone, Klaipeda Water (UAB “Klaipedos
vanduo”), Ministry of environment of the Republic of Lithuania
Mexico: FEMISCA (Mexican Federation of Environmental Engineering), Swedish Embassy, the Mexico City Government, the Ministry of
Education, the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources,
The National Autonomous University of Mexico, the Mexican
Academy of Sciences, the Mexican Federation of Sanitary Engineeringand Environmental Sciences, the Mexican Association of Environmental Engineering, Swedish-Mexican Chamber of Commerce, Kemwaterde Mexico, Alfa Laval, ITT Industries, Tetra Pak, Ericsson Telecom,
Sandvik, Swedish Foreign Trade Association
Nigeria: National Environmental Watch and Service (NEWS), African
Youth Movement on Environment, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Aguata
Local Government, Intercontinental Bank PLC, UBABIKE Oil Nig. LTD.,
Heritage Group of Companies, Caltec Nig. Ltd., Clerico Construction
Nig. Ltd., Nigerian Mineral Waters Ltd, FUSE Nig. Ltd., The Federal
Polytechnic, The Anambra State/UNICEF Joint Water Project Unit,
Harmony Specialist Hospital and Maternity, Total Fina Elf, Federal
Ministry of Water Resources
Norway: Norsk Hydrologiråd, Norsk Vannforening, VA-yngre,
AnoxKaldnes, Kemira, Fujitsu-Siemens, Norges Vassdrags og
Energidirektorat (NVE), Norsk Institutt for Vannforskning (NIVA)
Poland: Polish Foundation for the Protection of Water Resources,
The Economic Chamber of “Polish Waterworks”, The National Fund forEnvironmental Protection and Water Management
Russian Federation: Environmental Projects Consulting Institute,
Federal Agency of Water Resources, Russian Regional EcologicalCentre, NGO “Environmental Defence”, Swedish Institute,Environmental Projects Consulting InstituteSouth Africa: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Departmentof Education, WRP Consulting Engineers (Pty) Ltd., University of CapeTown, University of Natal, Cape Technikon

Germany: Stiftung Jugend Forscht e.V., Federal Department of
Education and Science, The Ernst Sobotha Foundation, Bundesanstalt
fuer Arbeitschutz und Arbeitsmedizin

Spain: AGBAR Foundation (Centre d’Estudis i Investigacio delMedi Ambient), Kemira Iberica S. A.

India: Centre for Environment Education

Sweden: Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI),ITT Flygt AB, Svenskt Vatten

Israel: Faculty of Engineering at Tel Aviv University, The Iby & Aladar
Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, The Manuel and Raquel Klachky
Fund for the SJWP Competition in Israel, The Israel Water Commission

Ukraine: Ukranian Publishing House EKOinform, Swedish Institute,Company “WILO-Ukraine”

Italy: Federazione delle Associazioni Scientiﬁche e Tecniche (FAST),
Intel, Fondazione Lombardia per l’Ambiente, Foist, MT Channel, Quark

USA: Water Environment Federation (WEF), ITT Industries,
The Coca-Cola Company

Japan: Japan Water Prize Committee (JWPC), EBARA Corporation,
Hitachi Ltd., KUBOTA Corporation

Vietnam: Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)

Global Sponsor is
ITT Industries

Hantverkargatan 5, se-112 21 Stockholm, Sweden
Phone +46 8 522 139 60 ✦ Fax +46 8 522 139 61 ✦ siwi@siwi.org✦

www.siwi.org

DESIGN: QUADRATA

Stockholm International Water Institute, SIWI