British scientist's 'virtual water' a winning concept

Straits Times 20 Mar 08;

He gets Stockholm prize for devising way to compute how much water is used in production

STOCKHOLM - A BRITISH scientist who developed a way to calculate how much water is used in the production of anything from a cup of coffee to a hamburger was awarded the 2008 Stockholm Water Prize yesterday.

Professor John Anthony Allan, 71, of the University of London in Britain won the award for introducing the concept of 'virtual water', a calculation method that has changed the nature of trade policy and research.

The Stockholm International Water Institute said this idea is now imbedded in the production of food and industrial products.

'People do not only consume water when they drink it or take a shower,' the institute said. 'Behind that morning cup of coffee, there are 140 litres of water that were consumed to grow, produce, package and ship the beans.'

That is about as much water as a person in England uses on average for all daily drinking and household needs.

'For a single hamburger, an estimated 2,400 litres of water are needed. In the US, the average person consumes nearly 7,000 litres of virtual water every day.'

Prof Allan will receive the US$150,000 (S$207,000) cash award and a symbolic glass sculpture at a ceremony in Stockholm on Aug 21.

The Stockholm Water Prize is awarded annually to individuals and institutions for making a substantial contribution to the preservation, enhancement or availability of the world's water resources.

First awarded in 1991, the prize was founded by several companies, including Fujitsu Siemens, General Motors Corp, Swedish Railways and the Water Environment Federation.

The UN Climate Panel has said the world faces strains on fresh water supplies linked to global warming.

In a report last year, it projected that 250 million people in Africa could suffer greater water shortages by 2020, while faster thawing of Himalayan glaciers could disrupt flows on which millions of people in Asia depend.

Taking the issue of water very seriously is Singapore, which on Tuesday named Canadian researcher Andrew Benedek as the inaugural recipient of the S$300,000 Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize, to be awarded during the Singapore International Water Week in June.

Dr Benedek, 64, pioneered the use of low-pressure membranes to make drinking water from highly polluted water.

REUTERS, ASSOCIATED PRESS