Ink flows, and water is turned on

An accord between a city and two universities holds promise of better life

Residents of the capital of Zimbabwe, Harare, may one day be able to toast an agreement between their city, the University of Technology of Zimbabwe and Tongji University of China with a glass of the improved water that the accord aims to deliver to them.

The three will set up a three-year research program on drinking water supply that includes demonstration projects, the ultimate aim being to increase the supply of water in the cities of Harare and Chinhoyi.

Water management expert and professor Li Fengting talks with local technicians at a water plant in Kenya. Provided to China Daily

A memorandum of understanding was signed at the closing ceremony of the Workshop on Planning for Greener Cities and South-South Cooperation in Africa held at Tongji University of China last month.

The gathering was a joint effort of Tongji University, the United Nations Environment Programme and the UN Human Settlements Programme, or UN-Habitat.

"The memorandum is the beginning of collaboration in the field of water resources management and treatment," says Christopher Zvobgo, director of Harare Water.

Under the agreement, the three parties will exchange members of staff in this field, and make joint proposals for soliciting funds.

"Tongji has a lot of experience and technology," Zvobgo says. "In Harare we need the latest technology to be able to efficiently run the operation."

Tongji University, founded in 1907, is one of the leading universities in China. In 2002 it and UNEP co-established the UNEP-Tongji Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development with the aim of strengthening scientific research and providing educational programs in environmental and sustainable development.

Harare's water management and treatment system has been under heavy pressure because of its old pumps and machinery, Zvobgo says. Tongji's technology can help the city tackle the problems, such as serious leaks in the residential water distribution system, he says.

"Water is wasted without being paid for. That's a very big challenge."

He hopes technology Tongji has developed for detecting leaks will be particularly useful.

"They can do modeling to see exactly where to increase the size of pipes, and to do something about pressure. If you do modeling you can reduce pressure and reduce leaks."

Li Fengting, professor and vice-dean of the institute, plans to tailor to Harare the technology he has put in place in Nairobi. He is an expert in water management and treatment and served as a special coordinator for South-South cooperation and UNEP-China initiatives at the UNEP headquarters in Nairobi last year.

He and his team of experts from Tongji have worked with Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company since 2010 and established a demonstration project in the Ngethu water treatment plant in the city.

"Different African countries have different water problems," says Li, head scientist on the Tongji team. "The situation in Kenya is comparatively good in terms of water resources, but some of the upper reaches of its rivers are partly deforested. During rainy seasons water turbidity is too high to be brought under the standard set by the World Health Organization with their existing technology."

By using a new coagulant, a highly efficient water treatment chemical, the scientists were able to effectively lower the level of turbidity and water coloration. That resulted in lower costs for treating water and helped to increase the volume of water being treated.

The Ngethu project is part of the UNEP-China-Africa Cooperation Programme that was launched in 2008 and ended last year. The program, funded by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, was a joint initiative by UNEP and the Chinese ministry. Seventeen Chinese research institutions took part, including Tongji University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou University and 16 African countries and organizations.

Tongji has sent about 20 people to take part in the program, working on projects in Nairobi and Kisumu, Kenya, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Li says.

Ten subprojects that are part of the program have been completed, including water resources planning and protection, wastewater management and water-saving agriculture.

China's expertise and the technology it possesses in water-related fields, such as soil erosion mitigation in the Yellow River Basin and rainwater harvesting techniques, are proving to be invaluable to Africa.

Educational initiatives aimed at disseminating knowledge about water management techniques have been set up, in the form of offering of scholarship-sponsored degree programs, training workshops and study tours in China. About 1,000 technicians, public servants and farmers in Africa have benefited from demonstrations by Chinese experts of techniques and technology related to water management.

More than 50 African students have been recommended for degree programs in Chinese universities, with full scholarships sponsored by the Chinese government. They are now working in environment-related subjects at all levels.

The UNEP and the Chinese science and technology ministry plan more collaboration in the field.

The city of Nairobi is going to adopt Tongji's technology in water treatment on a larger scale and is buying in China coagulant that is similar to that used in Ngethu, Li Fengting says.

"We hope to provide technical support to enhance the efficiency and quality of water supply in the cities."

His team has been developing small water purifying devices driven by solar energy that are affordable to people in rural areas of Africa. Many people who drink river water have limited access to purification, with the implications for health that this entails. Trial devices are expected to be delivered to Africa by the end of the year.

The workshop on green city planning in Shanghai was followed by a 10-day workshop looking at water resources management and water treatment. Experts from China and Africa attended.

Pardon Kusaziwa Kuipa, vice-chancellor of Chinhoyi University of Technology, says it is looking forward to technology that Li has developed being put into use in Zimbabwe.

The agreement signed in Shanghai covers student exchanges between the two universities, and Kuipa says he hopes Tongji will be able to help train teachers and students in science and engineering.

lixueqing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 04/17/2015 page7)