LIMPOPO – THE Capricorn District Municipality and the University of Limpopo held the pre-opening of the first phase of a water testing laboratory at the University of Limpopo last Wednesday.
Prof Naftali Moccel, director of Rural Development and Innovation Hub, said the water quality testing laboratory was a partnership between the university and the municipality and that the Council for Scientific and Industrial research (CSIR) joined the partnership in 2012.
“In partnership with the university, we will provide land for the construction of the laboratory and the municipality will provide the capital injection required for the construction and equipping of the laboratory including all material required for the laboratory to be functional,” said Moccel.
He said the laboratory would assist the municipality to effectively perform a water quality monitoring role as required by law.
“The municipality will use the laboratory to do water quality testing, process optimisation and any other of its obligations in terms of the law. For the university, the water quality testing laboratory will serve as an experiential training site, particularly for water service and sanitation students and will assist the university in carrying out community engagement activities related to water to provide researchers an opportunity to engage in quality research in water related areas,” he said.
The Capricorn mayor, Gilbert Kganyago, said: “we want to explain to people how far we are in terms of our programme. An important step forward is to provide a solution to the water challenges we are currently facing in the district. We currently test our water from the laboratory in Pretoria. This facility will reduce the turn around time”.
“This research facility is research in motion. It is appropriate that we are situated at an institution of higher learning. Univen has defined itself to serve or provide solutions for rural challenges and problems in terms of development,” he said.
Kganyago said all three phases would be complete in the next five years.
