adminThe programme, which is run jointly with the Bulawayo City Council and other stakeholders, seeks to raise awareness in industry about safe waste management practices and finding innovative ways of curbing pollution.
Under the programme, the university and council would hold a series of workshops on waste management with industrialists.
The programme is spearheaded by the Department of Chemical Engineering and is facilitated by Dr Joel Tshuma, one of the senior lecturers.
“We are launching these workshops in collaboration with the city council under the auspices of our memorandum of understanding (MoU), which was signed between Nust and the council.
“We invite other stakeholders such as the National Social Security Authority (NSSA), the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and legislative bodies to conscientise industry about the waste management practices so as to avoid pollution and diseases.
“Nust will assist in giving necessary solutions to existing problems.
“We have gone a step further in this direction and have put companies in clusters according to the type of pollutant they produce,” said Dr Tshuma.
“We are trying to move away from standard to innovative systems of using our resources.
“The problem is that most companies are using dilapidated machinery and have no money to control lines of production hence the continued production of pollutants and illegal dumping.
“These workshops will conscientise companies about waste management strategies.”
Dr Tshuma said the workshops would cover aspects such as industrial effluent and human health, monitoring of industrial effluent, legislative framework and waste management technologies.
Speaking at the same occasion Bulawayo Mayor Councillor Thaba Moyo said the issue of waste management was everyone’s concern.
“The debate around industrial waste management is a topical issue which calls for contributions and attention from all of us,” said Clr Moyo.
He reiterated the need to properly manage industrial waste in order to protect underground water sources.
Clr Moyo urged stakeholders who attended the launch to think in other terms with regards to environmental protection and to keep Bulawayo clean.
“I would like to urge industrialists to develop systems to pre-treat the water before disposing of the waste into our systems.
“I also note that a partnership within industry would also go a long way in changing the pre-treatment facilities which are available, and also provides an opportunity to explore new ways of pre-treating waste,” he said.
In 2005 the city council and Nust signed an MoU that enables the two organisations to work together in areas of research and development of the city.
The launch was held at the Small City Hall and attended by environmental experts, industrialists and officials from NSSA and EMA.
Online Reporter