LEDARS win Zayed Sustainability Prize 2023 in water category
President of UAE His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan presented awards to the 10 winners of the 2023 Zayed Sustainability Prize on 16th January, 2023, ABU DHABI. His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan presented the trophy to Mr. Mohon Kumar Mondal, the Executive Director of LEDARS in the Water category for its integrated water resource management model that solves water scarcity issues in disaster-prone south-west coastal areas of Bangladesh.
( Ryan Carter / UAE Presidential Court )
The ceremony was also attended by H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior; H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court; H.H. Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of Abu Dhabi Executive Council; H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Advisor for Special Affairs at the Ministry of Presidential Court; Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence; along with a number of Sheikhs and senior officials. Also, present were various heads of state, ministers, and other senior-level dignitaries from the UAE and abroad, in addition to past winners, and the 2023 finalists.
In his remarks on the Awards Ceremony, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed said, “The UAE continues to lead on important global initiatives at the heart of our mission to create a better future for all, both within the UAE and beyond our nation’s borders. The bold ambition of the Zayed Sustainability Prize remains at the forefront of these efforts. It creates a pathway for delivering life-changing humanitarian aid and solutions to communities around the world.”
The US$3 million Prize is the UAE’s pioneering global award in sustainability that recognizes and rewards small and medium-sized enterprises, nonprofit organizations and high schools around the world that are delivering impactful, innovative and inspiring solutions in health, food, energy and water. Through its 96 former winners, the Prize has transformed the lives of more than 378 million people around the world since 2008, including in Vietnam, Nepal, Sudan, Ethiopia, Maldives and Tuvalu.
( Mohamed Al Blooshi for the UAE Presidential Court )
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LEDARS has developed an Integrated Water Resource Management Model with different high efficient, low coast and user friendly technologies like- Bio-sand filters (BSF), Pond-sand filters (PSF), rainwater harvesting systems (RWHS), protective ponds, canal re-excavation, Reverse Osmosis (RO), Deep tube well, providing safe drinking water and supporting cultivation of paddies and vegetables throughout the year on lands that were previously barren. LEDARS initiatives created access to safe drinking water for at least 15,881 families.
LEDARS believes receiving this award will help scale up activities to more people in the vulnerable areas. Through this, LEDARS will be able to play a leading role in improving the quality of life of the climate-affected people of the southwest coastal area.
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LEDARS awarded Standard Chartered Channel I AGROW Award-2020
LEDARS got the Channel I-Standards Chartered AGROW award 2020 as “Community of the Year as Disaster Fighter”. At the evening of Friday (8 January 2021) the award was handed over to LEDARS’ Executive Director Mr. Mohon Kumar Mondal at the ball room of Hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon in Dhaka. The award was handed over by Dr. Mohammad Abdur Razzaque, Minister, Ministry of Agriculture and M. A. Mannan, Minister, Ministry of Planning in the presence of Mr. Shykh Seraj, Director of Channel I and Naser Ejaz Biay, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Bangladesh.
10 individual and organization has been awarded for their outstanding contribution to sustainable agriculture where LEDARS was awarded as the best disaster fighter at community level to build community resilient in the southwest coastal region of Bangladesh. After selecting from more than hundred applications, the jury board finally selected the 10 individual and organization. Agricultural development and media personality Shykh Seraj served as the chairman of the jury board. The awardees received crests and certificates from the Minister of Agriculture. A total of Tk 24 Lakhs were awarded as prize money in nine categories.
Shykh Seraj, director and head of news at Channel i, said: “Farmers are the main heroes of Bangladesh. They have built hunger-free Bangladesh in their own hands. We often forget that. But these farmers are providing food to us through their sweat and labour.”
Mr. Mohon Kumar Mondal, Executive Director of LEDARS said that, South West coastal region of Bangladesh is always at high risk due to increasing disaster and climate change and people are struggling to survive there. LEDARS is working there to promote sustainable agriculture and disaster preparedness since 2003. This recognition will encourage to LEDARS to take more effective and wide range initiative in the coast of Bangladesh. He shown his gratitude to the authority of the award, donor organization who are supporting LEDARS, the devoted team members of LEDARS and the community volunteers who made this possible.
It is notable that LEDARS is very much active in disaster response activities in the coastal area since its inception. LEDARS performed emergency responses during the cyclones of SIDR (2007), AILA (2009), Fani and Bulbul (2019), Amphan (2020) and Yaas (2021). Also, LEDARS conducted humanitarian response to the COVID-19 pandemic. LEDARS provided food and non-food items, non-conditional cash support, cash for work, dirking water and WASH facilities at the time of emergency.
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LEDARS wins Water Showcase prize in 7th World Water Forum
LEDARS win World Water Showcase Prize in 7th World Water Forum 2015. LEDARS got excellent third prize in the World.
The southwest coastal region of Bangladesh is located in the lap of Mangrove forest, Sundarbans and Bay of Bengal. The area has been suffering negative impacts of climate change like, salinity intrusion and saline area expansion, monsoon variability, irregular rainfall, cyclones and tidal surges. It is one of the most disaster prone area which was seriously affected by super cyclone SIDR and AILA in 2009. After AILA most of the area of those upazilas became inundated by saline water which increased salinity in soil and water prenatally. Due to unplanned shrimp culture and sea level rise, salinity in soil and water is increasing day by day. The situation increased hardship of life of community people which immersed in distress in their livelihoods. A large number of people are also migrating from the area.
Considering the situation LEDARS has been implementing 2 projects in this area to enhance adaptive livelihood capacity and income of target beneficiaries. To reduced climate induced migration the project introduced integrated water resource management model through excavated mini ponds and canals in paddy land, established deep tube-wells, support households to preserve the daily use waste water for dry season cropping, etc. The project also increase awareness of the beneficiaries how to maximum use of their conserve rainwater, what kind of varieties are growing in less water, which verities can grow in brackish water, introduce tools and techniques to adaptive agriculture, etc. The project encourages farmers to practice resilient agriculture by adopting new water management model and for that the project provides incentives like seed, fertilizer and other agriculture equipments distribution. To reduce hardship of people’s life the project also supports beneficiaries to remove drinking water scarcity of the beneficiaries.
LEDARS present these activities as a case in the 7th World Water Forum which has been held in Daego, Republic of Korea on 12-17 April 2015. The name of the event is Water Showcase world Final in which LEDARS presents the water case titled “Water resource optimization for brighter future: A case of Climate Change Adaptation of Southwest Bangladesh”. 115 cases from different countries have submitted their cases among them 09 cases are selected as finalist. LEDARS case is selected for finalist like others based on the activities against the climatic situation of this region. 15 April 2015 is the day for Bangladesh because LEDARS is the only one case from our country and it wins third prize. The prize money is USD 4,000 and LEDARS receives a crest. Executive Director of LEDARS Mohon Kumar Mondal presented the case in 7th World Water Forum and receives the prizes. LEDARS welcome you all to celebrate this moment. Besides, we inviting you all to work together to resolve water crisis for drinking water and water for irrigation in the south west coastal region of Bangladesh.
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LEDRAS awarded by Kyoto World Water Grand Prize in 4th World Water Forum and Kyoto World Water Grand Prize 2006
LEDARS (former Gana Unnayan Sangstha) presented the success story of local action entitled “CBO turns into development in the southwest coastal region of Bangladesh” during the session of “Asian Civil Society Innovate Change” on 19th March 2006 in the 4th World Water Forum in Mexico and has been awarded as top ten semi-finalist of the world.
