John Briscoe - winner water's Noble Dies

John Briscoe, a leading authority on water resources who championed dams as an essential anti-poverty tool,helping reverse a prevailing view at the World Bank that such projects were mostly environmental and socialmenaces to the developing world, died Nov. 12 at his home in Poolesville, after a struggle with cancer.He was 66.

John Briscoe worked as a Professor of Environment Engineering at Harvard University where he directed the HarvardWater Security Initiative. He has lived in his native South Africa, the United States, Bangladesh, Mozambique,India and Brazil. In his 20-year career at the World Bank, he held high-level technical positions (as theBank's Senior Water Advisor) and managerial positions (Country Director for Brazil). He also worked asan engineer in the government water agencies of South Africa and Mozambique, and as an epidemiologist at theCholera Research Center in Bangladesh.

His well know booksinclude the World Bank'sWater Sector Strategy,India's Water Economy: Bracing for a Turbulent Future,Pakistan's Water Economy: Running Dry,The Australian Water Project: Crisis and Opportunity,andAProductive and Water-Secure Pakistan.

In March, he received the2014 Stockholm Water Prize,a prestigious award for achievement in water policy and administration well knows as Noble price for water.In addition to the Stockholm Water Prize, John received other prestigious awards, including the Grande Medalha daInconfidência, one of Brazil's highest awards; the President's Award of the International Water Association; and the StroudPrize for Excellence in Water.

John will be sorely missed in the water world. Our sincere condolences to all his family, students, friends and colleagues.

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