Eighty percent of health problems and five million deaths per year in developing countries are linked to inadequate water and sanitation according to the World Water Development Report 2009. This, coupled with the lack of medical attention for rural villagers, highlights a dire need for reliable access to clean water and healthcare, problems that Dr. BP Agrawal aims to solve.

The Lemelson-MIT Program today announced Agrawal as recipient of the 2010 $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability in recognition of his accomplishments. Agrawal's creation of a community-driven rainwater harvesting system and mobile health clinics have the potential to improve the global public health system and better the quality of life for villagers in rural India. These novel inventions were developed under Agrawal's Sustainable Innovations, a non-profit focused on building self-sustaining social enterprises.

Agrawal was selected as the winner of the prestigious prize by a distinguished panel of scientists, technologists, engineers and entrepreneurs. He will accept the award and present his innovations to the public at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology during the Lemelson-MIT Program's fourth-annual EurekaFest, a multi-day celebration of the inventive spirit, June 16 – 19.

To read the full press release about the 2010 $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability winner, visit: http://web.mit.edu/invent/n-pressreleases/n-press-10LMA.html


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