IWMI has won the prestigious 2011 Crystal Drop Award from the International Water Resources Association (IWRA) for outstanding contributions to the improvement of the world’s water situation. Awarded only once every three years, the Crystal Drop was presented to Dr Vladimir Smakhtin at a special ceremony on 28 September during the 14th IWRA World Water Congress in Porto De Galinhas, Brazil.

The award recognizes IWMI’s many contributions to the world of water including the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture . This 5 year project engaged the expertise of over 1,000 scientists to study the past half century of investment in water resources management and provide a blueprint for the future. Frequently cited in academic publications, it has proved invaluable to researchers and policy makers grappling with the global challenges of climate change, population growth and intensive agricultural development.
Other key areas where IWMI’s work has contributed to improved water policy include:

• Influencing the WHO and USAID guidelines for the safe use of wastewater in agriculture
• Developing solutions for sustainable groundwater use and for improving the productivity of water in rainfed and irrigated areas.
• Developing tools and concepts including a water accounting system, the concept of open and closed basins, and a global water scarcity map. These are widely used and referenced today.

IWMI is only the fourth organization to have won the award, for which both individuals and organizations are eligible.

From left to right: Matthew McCartney, Vladimir Smakhtin and Bharat Sharma		The Crystal Drop Award
From left to right: James Nickum - Secretary General of IWRA; and Editor-in-Chief of Water International Vladimir Smakhtin - Theme Leader - Water Availability and Access, International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Jun Xia - President of IWRA Pierre Chevallier - Member of the Board of Directors of IWRA; and President of Association VERSeau Développement
The Crystal Drop Award was kindly sponsored by the Qingdao Hydrology and Water Resources Survey Bureau, China