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Thai students win 2016 Stockholm Junior Water Prize

Xinhua, August 31, 2016 Adjust font size:

Three students from Thailand received the 2016 Stockholm Junior Water Prize on Tuesday night for their innovative device that mimics the water retention of the Bromeliad plant.

Swedish Prince Carl Philip gave the prize at an award ceremony to the three students, Sureeporn Triphetprapa, Thidarat Phianchat and Kanjana Komkla. The award ceremony is a highlight of the ongoing World Water Week in Stockholm, which kicked off on Sunday this year.

The three students built the device by examining the efficacy of natural water collection by plants - especially in terms of the shape of plants that collect and capture water, according to a press release.

The device has been installed on rubber trees on rubber plantations, it reads.

"The theme of the 2016 World Water Week is Water for Sustainable Growth. The winning project addresses future water security and rural livelihoods using an elegant leapfrog technology which looks simple, but its beauty masks its complexity! The project embodies the theme well through its journey from the idea to application," the jury said in its citation.

"It has already proven to be scalable and is now being tested in the field, by hundreds of farmers, who are now benefiting from the inspiration from beautiful plants which have an exceptional capacity to collect and store water," the jury added.

Asked how she would want to take the winning project further, Sureeporn Triphetprapa said: "I will use our idea to relieve poverty in our community."

"This shows that to make real progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, we need to start at the local level. This is a very good example of that: a simple, smart and scalable solution, making a big difference", said Torgny Holmgren, Executive Director of Stockholm International Water Institute, which organized the World Water Week.

Teams from 29 countries competed in the 2016 finals of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, which encourages young scientists to develop their continued interest in water and the environment. Endit