The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) awarded Dr Peter Morgan of Zimbabwe the 2013 Stockholm Water Prize at the closing of World Water Week in Sweden last Friday.
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The institute, which organises the annual convention tackling the planet’s water issues, recognised Dr Morgan for his invaluable contribution to the improvement of water and sanitation facilities around the world, most especially in Zimbabwe. His low-cost, practical inventions have improved the health and quality of life of millions of people.
His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, who is a patron of the prize, bestowed the honour himself at the Royal Award Ceremony, where the British and naturalised Zimbabwean doctor also received a US$150,000 cash grant and a specially designed crystal sculpture.
Dr Morgan, on receiving the award, said, “It is indeed a great honour and privilege to have been presented this unique award. Those of us who work in this vital area are uniquely privileged because we are well placed and have an important role to play in conserving, and yet delivering the most precious resource on Earth – fresh water.”
According to SIWI, approximately 1.8 billion people live without access to safe drinking water and 2.5 billion people have no access to proper sanitation, which leads to life-threatening diseases.
In the Chivi district, south east of Zimbabwe, 70 per cent of households collect their water from unsafe sources, said the British Red Cross. Residents, mostly impoverished families, are susceptible to cholera outbreaks, malaria, typhoid and diarrhoea.
Dr Morgan has spent over 40 years developing water and sanitation solutions in the country that help reduce these illnesses and preventable deaths. Two of his prominent inventions are the ‘B’ type Bush Pump used in rural communities and the Blair Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) Latrine that have both been adopted as the national standard by the government of Zimbabwe.
The Blair VIP Latrine, for example, was first built in 1973, back when Zimbabwe was still known as Rhodesia. The latrine, done in collaboration with the Ministry of Health which has the rural water supply and sanitation under its management, features a screened ventilation pipe that directs odour and flies away from the latrine and user. Because of its effectiveness and its use of local materials that drive down costs, this has been replicated in other African countries such as Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique, and in other parts of the world.
Dr Morgan is also well known for his ecological sanitation solutions, said SIWI. His ‘eco-san’ toilets allow the safe reuse of human waste for soil enrichment and crop production. Most of these solutions are taught in schools to encourage young Africans proper hygiene and the possibility of reusing human excreta and urine for the production of vegetables and maize. Another purpose is for them to share this knowledge in their homes.
“As a result of Dr Morgan’s pioneering work, countless communities now enjoy safer water, a cleaner environment and quality of life,” said the Stockholm Water Prize Committee in their citation.
Dr Morgan, who was also awarded for his lifetime commitment in 2009 by the African Ministers’ Council on Water, said: “We have an opportunity to leave behind us a legacy of good work which benefits mankind and hopefully Mother Earth too.”
“We must all learn to become true partners with the world we live in,” he added.
