World Water Day 2017 : CWA rewards winners

Winners of a photography competition on the theme “WATER – Our most precious resource” meant for students of the tertiary education sector and professional photographers organised by the Central Water Authority (CWA) in the context of the World Water Day (WWD) 2017 were announced last week.

Students and professional photographers were required to capture the value of water in an image on the chosen theme for the competition in various categories. Winners of each category were entitled to a cash prize, a certificate and a shield. The Professional Photography award followed by a cash prize of Rs 30 000 went to Mr Anoop Purushotam and the Amateur Photography award along with a cash prize of Rs 25 000 were presented to Mr Miguel Meunier.

Moreover, the CWA organised other competitions including a short play for primary school students on the theme ‘Water-Use it Wisely’.  The winner for the best play is the Notre Dame des Victoires RCA school, that also won a cash prize of Rs 15 000, a certificate and a shield. France Boyer College won the Powerpoint Presentation Competition held at national level for secondary school students from Form IV to VI, under the theme of ‘Water-Using Recycled Water’. Participants received a cash prize of Rs 20 000, a certificate and a shield.

World Water Day, observed on 22nd March annually, aims to raise awareness among the population on the importance of water in our everyday life. The theme chosen this year to mark the day in Mauritius was: ‘Water and Wastewater’, which emphasized and enlightened on the issue regarding the accruing amount of wastewater being dumped in the environment.

Speaking at the award ceremony, the Chairman of the CWA highlighted the dire need to protect our water resources which is reverberating across the globe. He pointed out that 80% of all the wastewater from our homes, cities, industry and agriculture flows back to nature polluting the environment. Hence, he added that WWD is indeed a wake-up call and an opportune time to probe into the wastewater issue and look into ways to reduce and reuse it.

Moreover, he underscored the prime importance of having a quality service in the water sector, which is a key player in the development goals of a country. He highlighted the numerous challenges faced by the CWA in providing the best services and stated that a major reform in the water sector is currently on-going whereby Government is looking for a strategic partner to complement the efforts of the CWA in terms of knowledge, expertise and financial support.