DUT’s Water Institute launched

THE new state-of-the-art building for the Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology (IWWT) at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) was officially launched at the Steve Biko Campus in Durban on Thursday, 18 July.

Speaking during the event, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Thandwa Mthembu 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, not only in the region but in the world,” he said.

The building 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 supported by a UPS and a back-up generator.

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Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement, Professor Sibusiso Moyo said the launch of the IWWT building was a celebration of successful collaborations between DUT and its various partners and stakeholders.

“While this facility is a culmination of years of resourcing and planning, we also aim to have this world-class Institute opened to the public. It will not only provide training to our students and staff but it will also provide specialised services in collaboration with our partners that goes beyond testing the quality of water we drink. The IWWT will also provide evidence based research to inform interventions and to develop appropriate technologies to address the needs of society,” she said.

The Chief Executive Officer of the National Research Foundation, Dr Molapo Qhobela, who delivered the 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 per cent of the global population don’t have access to clean water. So unless we do something different, this problem will continue to persist. 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.

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