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Students propose solutions for LWB waste water management

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Posted By

James Mphande

Posted on

29th Nov, 2024

Students from Malawi, Uganda and Finland who were on a two-week challenge to assess a waste water management plant for Lilongwe Water Board (LWB), identify challenges and propose some solution, on November 28, 2024 made presentations of their proposed solutions.
 
The students were working under the AgrGrow Student Challenge Programme, a partnership of higher education institutions in Malawi, Uganda, Denmark, Finland and the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM).
 
Among others, it brings together students to develop innovative solutions to challenges that affect people in their communities.
 
Among the challenges identified at the LWB waste water treatment plant in Kauma in Lilongwe, the students noted lack of awareness among communities on what the plant does, its services and how they can access some products like sludge for manure.
 
It was also noted that the plant faces power and financing challenges yet it can utilise its by-products to address these challenges.
 
The solutions from the students, which they came up through assessment f the plant, engagement with LWB and communities and desk research, will be refined following the feedback they got after the presentations.
 
“We really thank the students for their time and effort to come up with these proposals. At this stage they cannot be a final product as some of them need to be tested but they will revise and present them again later,” said Dr Richard Nkhoma who is Head of Engineering Department at MUST.
 
He also thanked LWB management for allowing and opening up to provide space and information to the students to work on the challenge, arguing this is a new concept and can easily be misunderstood by industry players.
 
On his part, Phyllis Mkwezalamba, Wastewater Treatment Manager at LWB said they were happy with what the students presented but urged them to concentrate more on the practical side of their solutions than focusing on theory.
 
“We want solutions that can work on the ground. But we are pleased with the collaboration. It is a new thing and initially we did not understand it but being an innovative institution, we embraced it. We look forward to the refined solutions,” he said
 
The students involved in the challenge came from MUST, Häme University of Applied Sciences in Finland and Bugema University of Uganda and were accompanied by academic staff members as mentors.