Awarding Body: Energy Globe Foundation
National Partner: Green Cross Sri Lanka
Year: 2025
KIU received the Energy Globe National Award for Sri Lanka in recognition of the Lahugala Smart Water Project, a sustainability-focused initiative addressing safe and reliable water access in a rural and environmentally sensitive region.
About the Lahugala Smart Water Project
The Lahugala Smart Water Project, implemented by Green Cross Sri Lanka of the KIU Group, delivers clean drinking water to over 1,900 villagers in Lahugala, Ampara District. Located in one of Sri Lanka’s more ecologically sensitive dry-zone areas, the community had long faced challenges related to water quality and supply reliability — issues that directly impact public health, livelihoods, and daily quality of life.
The project delivered a structured, technology-enabled solution to improve water quality, system reliability, and long-term resource management for the Lahugala community. Designed with sustainability at its core, the initiative integrated environmental protection, community engagement, and climate-conscious planning to ensure long-term impact beyond project completion.
A Globally Recognised Achievement
The Energy Globe Award is one of the world’s most prestigious environmental honours, presented annually to projects that protect our environment through personal action, sustainable initiatives, or campaigns that raise awareness around sustainability. The Lahugala Smart Water Project was selected from more than 2,000 projects across 141 countries, placing it among the most impactful sustainability initiatives globally in its award cycle.
The national-level recognition by the Energy Globe Foundation — administered in Sri Lanka in partnership with Green Cross Sri Lanka — highlights KIU’s commitment to environmental stewardship and its ability to translate sustainability principles into well-governed, high-impact community projects aligned with global environmental and climate goals.
Recognised for Project Excellence Too
The Lahugala Smart Water Project did not earn recognition for its environmental impact alone. The project also received the PMI Silver Award for Best Green Project, recognising both its sustainability impact and disciplined project execution. This dual recognition — from both an environmental body and a global project management institution — underscores the standard of planning, governance, and delivery that KIU and Green Cross Sri Lanka brought to this initiative.
KIU’s Broader Commitment to Community and Sustainability
This award reflects a long-standing pattern of community-driven action within the KIU Group. KIU’s involvement in clean water access across rural Sri Lanka dates back to earlier CSR projects in the Ampara District, carried out in partnership with Green Cross Sri Lanka and other community organisations. Each initiative has built on lessons from the last, deepening KIU’s expertise in executing complex, high-impact projects in underserved areas.
Over recent years, KIU University and the KIU Group of Companies have emerged as one of Sri Lanka’s most consistently recognised institutions, earning national and international accolades across healthcare, sustainability, workforce development, and community impact — reflecting a focused commitment to delivering well-governed, high-impact initiatives that address national priorities while meeting global standards of excellence.
The Energy Globe National Award stands as one of the most significant expressions of that commitment — proof that a Sri Lankan institution can lead on sustainability not just domestically, but on the world stage.