WMO Water Ways
WMO held a photography competition with the theme “Water Ways” in December 2017. Photographers were encouraged to explore how this vital resource impacts our lives. With global population growth spurring both water demand and exposure to extreme events like floods and droughts, water issues are high on the global agenda.
WMO received over 250 submissions, which it narrowed down to 30 finalists. Its social media followers were invited to select their favourite from these. A WMO jury selected the top 12 photographs based on social media votes, artistic quality and geographical balance.
These winning photographs are featured in this special Water issue of the WMO Bulletin and will also be included in an exhibition during the WMO Global Conference on Prosperity through Hydrological Services in May 2018.
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| Access to clean water sources brings new life to a community in the village of Mcuba, Swaziland. |
During a heatwave, water is a great source of joy for a group of boys in the Mandroseza Barrage in Madagascar. |
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The picturesque Oirase Stream in Japan. (Photographer: Tsz-cheung Lee) |
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| Frozen lake in Iceland (Photographer: Ignacio Carmona) |
Located in the beautiful Vrata Valley, the Peričnik Waterfalls turn into icicles and floes. (Photographer: Zoran Stanko) |
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Icicles in a river flowing from the Sierra de Gredos in Spain. (Photographer: Jose Ramon Gomez Martin) |
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The Hindu Kush mountain range in the Central Highlands of Bamyan province, Afghanistan. (Photographer: Najeebullah Azad) |
The Rio Mourinho bridge in Alentejo, Portugal was submerged by the waters of Pego do Altar dam for 2 decades, but re-emerged with the dam only at 8% of its capacity. (Photographer: António Francisco Ribeiro de Oliveira) |
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| Creative side of rain in O Barco de Valdeorras, Spain. (Photographer: Arsenio Blanco Gayoso) |
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A woman walks through the wetland ecosystem on her journey home in low-lying Sunamganj District, Bangladesh. (Photographer: Lydia Cumiskey) |
A water crisis in Tabriz, Iran. (Photographer: Ali Rostamiiranagh) |
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Built centuries ago, the traditional stone spouts in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal are connected to underground water channels with a small shrine attached to the top. Due to excessive groundwater extraction and unplanned urbanization, these stone spouts have slowly started to dry up. (Photographer: Palpasa Prajapati) |