The winning team: Prof George Ekama (far left) and colleagues from Hong Kong and the Netherlands have been honoured by the IWA.

UCT's Professor George Ekama was part of an international team that received the 2012 Project Innovation Award from the International Water Association (IWA) at a meeting in South Korea in September.

Ekama, of the Department of Civil Engineering, had joined six other team members on various projects, partnering with collaborators from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the Hong Kong Airport Authority, the Hong Kong Drainage Services Department, and the Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands.

They were honoured in the applied research category for their project,Making Use of Seawater as an Alternative Resource.

Ekama has enjoyed long-running relationships with institutions in Hong Kong. He has taught courses on wastewater treatment to members of the Hong Kong government, presented seminars at the Hong Kong University of Technology, and co-supervised a PhD student from there.