Kham River Restoration Mission wins prestigious Environment Prize

Friday 1 November 2024

The Kham River Restoration Mission wins the 2024 St Andrews Prize for the Environment

Natasha Zarine, co-founder of EcoSattva, the eco-consultancy behind the Kham River Restoration Mission, was presented with the $100,000 prize in an award ceremony held at the University of St Andrews on Thursday, 31 October.

A collaborative initiative of EcoSattva, the Kham River Restoration Mission takes a socio-ecological approach to waterway management dramatically reducing environmental degradation and flood risk along the Kham River.

The Kham is a seasonal river of the Marathwada region of Maharashtra, India. In its upstream stretch, it flows through the historic city of Aurangabad for 8.8km. 65km in length, it finally joins the Godavari River at Natshagar in Paithan. Historically, the Kham had provided drinking water to the city but over-population and mismanagement had rendered the river unrecognizable. Local residents were unaware of its existence and used it as a dumping ground.

“Many local residents referred to the river as a nallah, which means sewage drain,” Natasha said, “and as well as sewage and other pollutants being disposed of in the river, the surrounding environments were completely disregarded.”

EcoSattva conducted an analysis of the river to determine where pollutants were entering and defining broader challenges on the River. Their findings resulted in waste clean up and dredging which also improved flood resilience. Native plants and trees were planted and have boosted the biodiversity of the local area, while also bringing benefits to locals in the form of increased shade.

The clean up has also provided socio-economic benefits to groups of traditional litter pickers, typically women, who are trained through EcoSattva’s waste management project to raise awareness of the negative impact of dumping waste and help re-educate locals on effective waste management practices.

Speaking of their win, Natasha said: “We are elated! To be selected is a great validation of the solutionist, ecological approach we are taking, not only in our city but to other cities as well. It will push our project a long way forward. We are really grateful.”

Runners up for the 2024 Prize were Washbox Global, an Australian company who have developed a closed-loop water system to eliminate construction pollution from entering waterways,  and the Northwoods Rewilding Project,  a Scotland-wide chain of landholdings committed to nature recovery, convened and coordinated by rewilding charity SCOTLAND: The Big Picture.

The St Andrews Prize for the Environment is a major international initiative led by the University of St Andrews that recognises and supports innovative and inspirational responses to environmental challenges, including the climate crisis. It is overseen by the Master of the United College, Professor Ineke De Moortel FRAS FRSE.

Since 1998, the Prize has awarded more than US$2.5 million in prize money across the world to individuals and organisations whose imaginative solutions are protecting the environment and promoting a more sustainable society.

Now in its 26th year, the Prize aims to champion the people and ideas addressing the greatest challenge of our age.

Full details on the project can be found on the St Andrews Prize website.


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