UMP Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Analysis, Innovation and Internalisation, Professor Aldo Stroebel and Chief Govt Officer of the WRC, Dr Jennifer Molwantwa, signal the MoU between the 2 establishments. The witnesses behind them are Dr Stanley Liphadzi (WRC), Dr Salmina Mokgethle (UMP), Dr Bongiwe Mcata (UMP), and Dr Naledi Nthite (UMP).
The settlement will assist Mpumalanga province discover sustainable options to its water challenges
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) entered between the College of Mpumalanga (UMP) and Water Analysis Fee (WRC) is predicted to strengthen the provincial water and sanitation resilience by means of groundbreaking analysis and innovation.
The partnership was signed final Wednesday by the Chief Govt Officer of WRC, Dr Jennifer Molwantwa, and UMP Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Analysis, Innovation and Internalisation, Professor Aldo Stroebel.
This was in the course of the WRC Mpumalanga provincial follow-up engagement that was held on the tertiary establishment’s Multi-Function Corridor.
The partnership will see UMP play a catalytic function in addressing water and sanitation interventions to seek out options to the water challenges confronted by Mpumalanga province.
Talking after the signing of the MoU, Dr Molwantwa stated the settlement can be adopted by additional engagements, the place each establishments will craft out the evaluation and wishes evaluation.
She stated because the WRC, a variety of fashions and pointers are developed that discover a dwelling within the curriculum of upper schooling.
“This MoU gives a framework to information, coordinate and assist water analysis, growth and innovation collaboration with the sharing of present data and knowledge, technology of latest analysis and innovation merchandise that may contribute in direction of constructing larger water sector capabilities, in addition to discovering sustainable options to the water challenges skilled by the province,” defined Dr Molwantwa.
She stated by means of the MoU they are going to be creating future leaders who will be capable of successfully tackle water challenges within the nation.
Among the many stakeholders that participated within the road-show have been the Division of Water and Sanitation Mpumalanga (DWS), Komati Basin Water Authority (KOBWA) and Inkomati-Usuthu Catchment Administration Company (IUCMA).
Professor Stroebel stated the settlement vegetation a seed within the growth of strategic engagement going ahead. He added that it builds a robust surroundings to co-invest past the funding contribution of the college, its companions and researchers: “This is step one for a protracted highway forward. The UMP as an engaged college has many partnerships, which have enabled the establishment to thrive to succeed in larger heights.”
The UMP was established in 2013 and the primary cohort of scholars was enrolled in February 2014, when the doorways of studying have been first opened. The celebration of the ten years because the institution of UMP happened in November 2023.
Pupil numbers elevated from 169 in 2014 to 10 191 in 2024. The rise in tutorial programmes from three in 2014 to 75 in 2024 (two Greater Certificates, six Diplomas, seven Superior Diplomas, 4 Postgraduate Diplomas, 15 Bachelor’s Levels, 20 Honours Levels, 16 Grasp’s Levels, and 5 Doctoral Levels).
Their analysis efficiency was recognised by the Nationwide Analysis Basis (NRF) by means of the NRF Acceleration Awards in 2022 and the NRF CEO’s Particular Recognition Award in 2023.
The partnership will see UMP play a catalytic function in addressing water and sanitation interventions to seek out options to the water challenges that stakeholders within the province have expressed considerations about.
The province shouldn’t be presenting distinctive water and sanitation challenges, however it’s evident from the most recent State of Municipalities Report that circumstances have deteriorated, even in municipalities that had beforehand carried out properly.
Dudu Sifunda, Regional Head for the DWS, stated they have been wanting ahead to strengthening the province’s water and sanitation resilience by means of analysis and improvements that this partnership will foster. She stated the DWS has supported the initiative taken by the WRC of working along with companions within the water sector.
“We consider that partnership is the fitting path to financial development and coherence. And as DWS, we consider that this long-awaited partnership will help in fixing the province’s water and sanitation challenges and the nation’s as an entire. This partnership ought to encourage knowledge-sharing classes on key wants recognized in the course of the pre-engagements which have already been undertaken,” stated Sifunda.
The DWS is the custodian of the insurance policies and prescripts that govern water administration, regulation, provision and to hold the mandate of offering assist throughout the nation.
There are huge challenges the division is confronted with. These embrace restricted abilities, deteriorating ingesting water high quality, excessive water losses, unlawful connections, ageing infrastructure and non-revenue water, amongst others.
Sifunda stated there are excessive expectations of the partnership with UMP within the communities of Mpumalanga: “We count on the UMP to supply a related curriculum to deal with the water abilities challenges within the province, serving to with water analysis and applied sciences, and water analysis laboratories for the entire worth chain, because the division is presently outsourcing.”
Sydney Dhlamini from KOBWA shared these sentiments, and stated that the partnership was an incredible milestone that may improve the success of reaching shared targets.
KOBWA was established by means of a treaty signed between the Kingdom of Eswatini and South Africa in 1992. Its core mandate is to function Maguga Dam in Eswatini and Driekoppies Dam in South Africa, and provide bulk uncooked water to Eswatini, South Africa and Mozambique.
Dhlamini stated KOBWA helps this partnership to strengthen water and sanitation resilience by means of analysis and innovation: “We now have little doubt that the collaboration and partnership will improve our success in reaching our shared targets. We’re excited that this endeavour gives a chance to bridge the hole between analysis and follow.
“Historically and traditionally, researchers and operators have labored in silos and the problem has been to persuade operators to utilize cutting-edge analysis; I’m speaking about developed instruments, applied sciences and merchandise which can be higher than what operators presently have or use.
“Alternatively, researchers have developed merchandise with out successfully consulting or collaborating with the tip customers, leading to many analysis reviews amassing mud on the cabinets,” elaborated Dhlamini.
He additional stated there was additionally a must deliberate on the problems of sustainability of the initiatives or interventions in the long run.
“It is not uncommon data that catchments in Mpumalanga are confronted with the problem of water availability and shortage. Rising populations and financial growth end in greater calls for for water,” stated Dhlamini.
He stated there was a necessity for strong and versatile determination making and for supportive instruments.
“We should tackle water availability within the lengthy, medium and brief time period. One of many challenges is insufficient or unavailable flood forecasting instruments. Drought prediction is one other situation — the prediction of drought onset, and its severity, length and cessation. There are insufficient early warning techniques, and insufficient monitoring infrastructure.
“We have to study problems with automation and synthetic intelligence. Knowledge and knowledge sharing can be important to the success of a number of the initiatives. All these points, although non-exhaustive, is probably not addressed in a single go, however we consider it is a nice begin,” added Dhlamini.
Dr Nicolette Mhlanga-Ndlovu, Chief Govt Officer for ICUMA, stated it has prior to now and within the current collaborated with WRC on quite a lot of analysis initiatives. She stated since its institution, the IUCMA has made large contributions in achieving transformation of South Africa’s water sector.
“In discharging its legislative mandate, the IUCMA has contributed to the event and implementation of water sector insurance policies, methods, laws and re-alignment of establishments. The IUCMA, by means of its mission and imaginative and prescient, strives to advertise and strengthen the Built-in Water Sources Administration (IWRM) method, which is essential in informing the resilient WASH [drinking water, sanitation and hygiene] future,” stated Mhlanga-Ndlovu.
She stated the IWRM method varieties the idea upon which participatory water sources administration is promoted.
“In furtherance of the IWRM framework, an enabling surroundings for all function gamers inside Mpumalanga province is taken into account important, along with knowledge assortment, info dissemination, data technology, and sharing in addition to documenting classes learnt within the formulation of evidence-based WASH insurance policies,” concluded Mhlanga-Ndlovu.
Inventors current progressive water and sanitation options
The spirit of innovation was alive and properly in Mpumalanga as inventors delivered their proposed options to the province’s largest water and sanitation challenges.
This was in the course of the Water Analysis Fee (WRC) go to to Mpumalanga on a strategic two-day multi-stakeholder engagement to deal with water challenges, held on the College of Mpumalanga (UMP).
Founder and managing director of Water, Hygiene, and Comfort (WHC) Paseka Lesolang was among the many innovators.
He stated his firm’s leakless valve innovation is a management mechanism that mitigates water loss in bathrooms because of leaks when bathrooms are usually not in use.
Lesolang stated his valve is positioned in the bathroom cistern and locks at a predetermined stage after every flush, prohibiting an extra inflow of water and preemptively stopping water move within the occasion of a leak.
“The water management mechanism prevents 70% of water loss because of bathroom leaks when the bathroom shouldn’t be in use. This leakless valve answer prevents water wastage, which might successfully contribute to the nation’s water scarcity points and will save households 10% of their month-to-month water payments,” defined Lesolang.
He stated he invented the system in his grandmother’s storage when he was in matric, after he turned aggravated with the incessant hissing of her leaking bathroom. Right now, his firm is on the centre of South Africa’s inexperienced financial system.
Amongst different achievements, his product was endorsed as a sensible answer by Commerce and Funding KwaZulu-Natal in 2009. In 2010, Lesolang was named Entrepreneur of the 12 months by the College of Pretoria, and WHC was chosen as considered one of 15 delegate corporations on the 2010 Shanghai Expo.
Lesolang additionally received first prize within the Metropolis of Johannesburg’s Inexperienced Metropolis Startup Awards in 2015, profitable R1 million for his innovation – the Leak-Much less Valve.
Nohlanhla Mhlongo, analysis assistant and innovator from Carin Bosman Sustainable Options (CBSS), stated they ship sustainable options for environmental and water administration and governance challenges all through the nation.
She stated that the Leguaan and Water Monster Home equipment system creates water high quality graphs that everybody can perceive.
“The Leguaan system will prevent money and time when coping with your water high quality and amount knowledge. It’s going to assist you to show unmanageable spreadsheets or lots of of lab reviews into simply comprehensible and visualised administration info that’s scientifically right,” defined Mhlongo.
She additionally defined how their Water Monster Home equipment (WMA) digitised subject knowledge assortment app works.
“Utilizing our equipment means you should have much less of a problem. The home equipment seize all of the important subject knowledge straight in your cell system if you find yourself taking water samples for laboratory evaluation. These embrace the kind of water pattern, the climate circumstances on the monitoring location, and your observations in regards to the color, odour and move of the water.
“All of your captured subject knowledge is instantly out there in digital format and by the point you arrive within the workplace, all of your knowledge is already there. You’ll by no means must battle with muddy field-sheets or data-transfer errors,” defined Mhlongo.
Dr Hintsa Araya, a senior researcher in Crops Science from the Agricultural Analysis Council introduced the groundbreaking Plant-In-The-Bag innovation know-how.
He stated the province of Limpopo, the place drought is excessive, has since adopted his innovation. By means of the bag system folks can’t solely plant greens to eat — they’ll additionally take them to the market.
“Leafy greens will be efficiently planted within the bag system. Households can feed themselves efficiently with the bag system and may promote the greens,” stated Dr Hintsa.
He added that not having sufficient house to supply greens at dwelling shouldn’t cease folks from rising leafy greens, because the bag system is a option to develop them efficiently.
This technique of planting has quite a few benefits, together with that the bag holds water for an extended time, with out water and vitamins draining into the soil. The plant leaves are additionally not in touch with soil, leading to much less cleansing earlier than consuming or promoting them.
All that it’s essential plant is an empty polyethylene maize meal bag, fertilizer, a rising medium resembling compost, sawdust or soil with good drainage, a watering can and seedlings. The rising medium requires a superb distribution of water throughout irrigation.
As a result of the bag retains water, the vegetation solely have to be watered each second day. An 80kg bag, for instance, requires simply 60 litres and 90 litres of water per week.
Thaphelo Mokwela, Enterprise Growth Supervisor from Enviro Choices PTY LTD, introduced their waterless bathroom system, which gives a protected, non-polluting, cost-effective sanitation answer.
The Enviro Lavatory Clear is a wastewater therapy system that makes use of a pure organic course of to supply a recycling bathroom expertise.
“The Enviro Lavatory Clear Non-Sewered Sanitation System can remodel the lives of people and empower communities by offering a full recycling and aspirational high quality flushing bathroom expertise. This sanitation know-how gives an economical, sustainable and dignified sanitation system that’s scalable, adaptable and environmentally environment friendly,” defined Mokwela.
Choices supplied by the Enviro Lavatory Clear embrace six kilolitres per day linked to 50 seats or 24 kilolitres per day linked to 200 seats. The system will be elevated or decreased as required, and put in options will be relocated or decommissioned ought to the necessity come up, because the know-how is geared for deployment at varied areas. These embrace faculties, casual settlements or areas with little or no entry to ample sanitation.
Stephanus Pretorius, Managing Director for Empowering Water Options PTY LTD, talked about their patented Sand Water Extraction (SWE) system, which he stated is a perfect system to extract water from sand or different water-bearing mediums.
“The patented SWE system is a perfect answer for the environment friendly extraction of water from sand and supplying communities with beneficial water throughout occasions of drought. The system can be utilized to produce massive cities, small rural areas and farming purposes with low-cost water,” defined Pretorius.
He additional stated the design is without doubt one of the handiest and cost-efficient methods to extract water from sand. The distinctive patented design permits the models to be utterly submerged below the sand, which permits year-round water extraction, regardless of the extent of water in close by rivers.
The design permits water to be extracted from the sand at charges as much as 10 occasions quicker than the usual infiltration fee of the sand.
Dr Jennifer Molwantwa, Chief Govt Officer for WRC, stated the roadshow was an incredible success.
She stated the partnership signed with UMP will culminate right into a structured mission plan that may reply to a number of the points raised.
“As we depart Mpumalanga, we’re honoured that you simply heard our name and responded to our invitation. We now have used our convening capability to carry you collectively and discover our strengths from which to leverage, and seen our weaknesses that require particular person and collective effort.
“We acknowledge and thank the exhibitors showcasing actual WRC-funded mission improvements and merchandise with us. I consider we’re slowly demystifying RDI [research, development and innovation] merchandise and exhibiting that it’s not all idea, however actual options,” stated Dr Molwantwa.