The Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology (IWWT) building at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) was officially launched at the Steve Biko Campus in Durban this morning (Thursday 18 July 2019).
Speaking during the event, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Thandwa Mthembu thanked all partners and stakeholder who contributed immensely towards the realisation of this project. “Support to the University is very important because through that contribution we are able to focus our resources to institutes like this one,” he said.
Prof Mthembu remarked that he is always encouraging the DUT community to imagine a DUT that is not just good but to imagine a DUT that is great, highlighting that initiatives such as the IWWT building are in line with that line of thinking. “Many people and organisations are happy when they know that they are just good, and as Jim Collins says ‘good is the enemy of great’ in that when you rest on your laurels because you are good, you allow your peers to leapfrog themselves to greatness leaving you behind in your goodness. So good is the enemy because it makes you complacent,” he said.
He applauded the launch of IWWT building as being testimony to DUT’s desire to increase the University’s innovation and research capacity. “We want to become the first port of call in the region on matters of innovation and entrepreneurship, and certainly on matters of water and wastewater and not only in the region but in the world,” he added.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement, Professor Sibusiso Moyo said the launch of the IWWT building is a celebration of successful collaboration between DUT and its various partners and stakeholders.
“While this facility is a culmination of years of resourcing and planning, but we also aim to have this facility opened to the public. It will not only provide training to our students, staff, but it will also provide specialised services in collaboration with our partners that goes beyond testing the quality of water we drink but also provide evidence based research to inform intervention and develop appropriate technologies to address society needs,” she said.
Prof Moyo added that through this institute they are confident that more students will engage in water research.
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Research Foundation, Dr Molapo Qhobela who delivered keynote address, commended DUT for its remarkable strides in the area of research and innovation.
He highlighted the importance of water research in coming up with interventions to preserve this precious resource. “We as human beings cannot live without water, while the right to access water is threatened by many issues. Water scarcity is a big issue, 40% of the global population don’t have access to clean water. So unless we do something different this problem will persist,” he said.
Dr Qhobela also announced that following a rigorous review of the South African Research Chair Initiative (SARChI), a panel has unanimously agreed that the IWWT at DUT will be awarded another cycle of five years as SARChl Chair. “This is testimony to the quality of research that has been undertaken in this University. We need to debunk the myth that only certain institutions can produce cutting edge research,” he added.
The new building comprises of well-equipped laboratories with high-end equipment. It consists of four floors of approximately 450sqm each, two floors holding 14 laboratories, two cold-rooms and a walk-in incubator. The other two floors contain offices, a seminar room, a boardroom and a 49-seater postgraduate student seating facility. The Institute has a 100 square metre greenhouse on the roof containing 4 x 3000L raceway ponds for algae experimentation. It includes dedicated laboratories for the high-end instrumentation (including Gas Chromatographs, Elemental Analyzer, Ion Chromatograph, Flow Cytometer, Atomic Absorption Spectrometer, Droplet Digital PCR and Sanger Sequencer) supported by a UPS and a back-up generator.
The Institute is host to one of two National Research Foundation (NRF) South African Research Chair Initiative (SARChI) research chairs in wastewater treatment in South Africa. The IWWT at DUT has been awarded a second cycle of the SARChl Chair from 2018 to 2022. Since 2012, the institute has published in excess of 150 journal articles and 85 conference presentations nationally and internationally. To date, the IWWT has hosted 29 Post-Doctoral Fellows from reputable international institutions, 29 Doctoral students, 42 Masters and 64 BTech students.
The multi-award winning Director of IWWT, Professor Faizal Bux expressed his excitement about the monumental growth of the IWWT since its inception in 1994. He also thanked also stakeholders and partners for their valuable contribution.
After the formal proceedings of the event guests undertook a guided tour of the new state-of-the-art building.
Pictured: Professor Faizal Bux, Professor Thandwa Mthembu, Professor Sibusiso Moyo and Dr Molapo Qhobela.
Nduduzo Ndlovu
