Sana’a University Water Center Honors Winners of Professor Abdullah Babaghi Award
The WEC at Sana’a University, in partnership with the Dutch organization MetaMeta, honored the winners of the Professor Abdullah Saleh Babaghi Award for Outstanding Practices in Enhancing Water and Sanitation Services during Emergencies and Crises on Wednesday, August 18, 2021.
During the event, his excellency, Engineer Abdulraqib Al-Shormani, Minister of Water and Environment, underscored the importance of acknowledging these achievements as a token of appreciation for the endeavors of research institutions and scholars in finding solutions to water and environmental problems amid emergencies and crises, particularly amidst hostile actions of the Arab Collation against Yemen, targeting critical infrastructure, including water sector.
He elaborated on the pivotal role played by the WEC at Sana’a University since its inception under the leadership of Professor Abdullah Babaghi. Many professionals and engineers in the water sector have received training in technical, managerial, and capacity-building domains at the center.
Minister Al-Shormani expressed optimism about the WEC’s future role, highlighting its potential to align with the ministry’s strategic directions in developing scientific frameworks that address contemporary water and environmental issues.
He also addressed the adverse effects of the Arab Collation against Yemen on the water sector, including significant damage to water and sanitation infrastructure, blockade, and restrictions hindering the importation of essential supplies like petroleum derivatives and spare parts, resulting in the suspension of numerous projects and the inability to provide services.
Prof. Al-Qasem Mohammed Abass, Sana’a University Rector, stressed the significance of recognizing the winners of the late Professor Abdullah Babaghi Award, who have presented valuable scientific insights and ideas with tangible real-world benefits. He noted that 15 teams representing eight local water and sanitation institutions from the Capital Secretariate (Sana’a City), Ibb, Hajjah, Saada, Dhamar, Al-Bayda, Hodeidah, and Sana’a Governorates, submitted entries for the award. Out of a total of 117 submissions, 65 were chosen for evaluation.
Prof. Al-Qasem highlighted that the evaluation process involved Yemeni representatives from the WEC at Sana’a University, along with Dutch representatives from MetaMeta. The committee of examiners included members from Yemen’s Water and Sanitation Cluster, Water Center, MetaMeta, the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank, GIZ Yemen, GIZ Jordan, and Oxfam Yemen. Through this collaborative effort, submissions were thoroughly reviewed, evaluated, and winners were selected. He emphasized that the winning teams presented outstanding ideas, implemented them effectively, and made significant contributions, commending the efforts of the WEC in actively contributing to the resilience of the Yemeni people.
Dr. Adel Al-Washali, Director of the WEC, and Dr. Frank van Steenbergen of MetaMeta emphasized the importance of acknowledging the award winners, launched as an annual award in the field of water in memory of Babaghi, the WEC’s founding figure. They expressed their aspiration to continue hosting the competition periodically, diversifying its scope, and addressing all challenges hindering the achievement of strategic water security for Yemen. They viewed the award as an encouragement for scientific research and motivation for academics, engineers, and water enthusiasts.
Finally, the top three winning teams were honored, with the local institution in Sana’a receiving 1.5 million Yemeni rials, the local institution in Ibb receiving 1 million rials, and the local institution in Dhamar receiving 500,000 rials.
