Munem Wasif: commissioned to record WaterAid’s Chittagong Hill Tracts Project

Munem Wasif

Ivan Pictet, speaking at the award ceremony, announced that Munem Wasif, one of the photographers shortlisted for the Prix Pictet, will be awarded the commission to document WaterAid’s Chittagong Hill Tracts Project in Bangladesh which is supported by Pictet & Cie.

The partners of Pictet & Cie have agreed to commission Munem Wasif to record the evolution of WaterAid’s project that aims to bring clean tap water to village communities in Bangladesh.

Read more: Prix Pictet, 31 Oct 2008

Malcolm Hutcheson

Not a prize winner, but also shortlisted for the Prix Picter, was photographer Malcolm Hutcheson for his series on Lahore’s Waste Water Problem. 90% of Lahore’s sewage, domestic and industrial, pours untreated into the local aquatic environment. It flows mainly into the Ravi River which lies on the edge of the city. Because toxins leach (as deep as 100 m) into the groundwater, the municipal wells have to be sunk deeper each year. Hutcheson’s photographs show the people who have to work with waste water, either maintaining the system or making money from using it.

View the photo series here

The Prix Pictet is a global prize in photography that focuses on sustainability. The award is sponsored by Pictet & Cie, in association with the Financial Times. The theme for 2008 was water.