The Indian Association of Soil and Water Conservationists (IASWC) has given its Life Time Achievement Award for the year 2018 to Mr. Alok Sikka, International Water Management Institute’s (IWMI) India Representative, for his significant contributions towards conservation and management of soil and water resources. The award ceremony was held at a national seminar of the IASWC - “Farmers First for Conserving Soil and Water Resources in Eastern Region” at Koraput in Odisha on 6 to 8 February 2019.
IASWC was founded in the year 1972 at Dehradun and is a non-profit body that encourages sensible land-use planning. It serves as a forum for conservation professionals, scientists, administrators as well as policymakers to evaluate the needs for soil and water conservation and watershed management. The IASWC members play a vital role in improving utilization of the country’s renewable as well as non-renewable resources by creating a better understanding of natural ecosystem processes and forming policies and laws that influence the use of soil, water and vegetation.
The Indian Association of Soil and Water Conservationists honors experts with its Life Time Achievement Award, which is based on their contributions to research and their service in the field of soil and water conservation.
It must be noted that the IWMI is a non-profit research organisation based in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and has offices across Asia and Africa. Research at IWMI basically focuses on improving how water and land resources are managed, with the aim of strengthening food security and reducing poverty while protecting essential environmental processes.
