Online Reporter
Students from institutions of higher learning continue to find solutions to challenges facing their respective communities and this is as it should be. The latest breakthrough is by students from the United College of Education (UCE) in Bulawayo who have developed a low-cost sewer line monitoring system to address the problem of increased cases of sewer pipe bursts and blockages across the city.
The innovation which was showcased at this year’s Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) will enable the city’s Engineering Department to detect potential choke points or areas where pipe bursts are likely to occur and take corrective action. The system uses pressure detecting sensors which are installed along sewer lines to monitor waste water flow patterns.
Ms Sandile Mpofu from UCE said the students’ innovation was grounded on the principle of preventive maintenance as opposed to the reactive approach of addressing faults. She said the system enables the city’s Engineering Department to act before pipes burst or collapse causing overflows from manholes which then becomes a health risk to residents.
Bulawayo, like many other cities and towns, is grappling with the challenge of ageing sewer system hence the increased cases of pipe bursts. Sewer pipe bursts and overflows have become common in residential areas thereby exposing residents to risk of contracting water-borne diseases such as cholera. We want at this juncture to commend Government for adopting Education 5.0 which is inspiring students to produce tangible goods and services. Last year a Kwekwe Polytechnic student developed a portable grinding mill that is set to transform grain processing for communities across the country.
The grinding mill which is mounted on wheels can easily be transported from one place to the other thereby bringing services close to communities. The grinding mill uses diesel and as such provides a dependable alternative for rural communities who at times are affected by non-availability of electricity.
President Mnangagwa has challenged institutions of higher learning to churn out graduates that produce tangible products which demonstrate knowledge acquired. He said students from universities and colleges should no longer pride themselves in having paper qualifications only. Early this year we reported that the Midlands State University (MSU) had started test runs at its US$11 million coal tar plant in Zvishavane and full scale production is expected before the end of the year. The university is working jointly with the Ministry of
Transport and Infrastructural Development and the Research Council of Zimbabwe (RCZ). The tar which is made of crude oil from Hwange coking ovens and recycled chrysotile from Shabanie-Mashava will substitute bitumen which the country is importing.
The local product will cost U$0,70 per litre compared to US2,50 per litre which the country is paying for bitumen. The Zvishavane project is expected to create about 2 500 jobs and reduce the country’s expenditure on imported bitumen by about 40 percent.
This is definitely a game changer for the country’s road construction. What is encouraging is that universities and colleges across the country are coming up with ground-breaking innovations that are benefiting communities and in some cases substituting imports thereby saving the country the much-needed foreign currency.
The institutions of higher learning are not only churning out graduates that meet societal demands but are also establishing innovation hubs and constructing industrial parks.
The universities and colleges are therefore leading the nation’s industrialisation programme which is a welcome development.
Bongani Ndlovu