Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
BULAWAYO Polytechnic College’s Science and Technology Department has invented a system that can recycle water that can be used for other household purposes such as flushing of toilets.
The latest innovation was exhibited during the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair that ended in Bulawayo last week. A lecturer in the department, Mr Elliot Gwekwe said the system uses water from kitchen sinks, bathrooms and wash basins which is the filtered using a simple filter.
“The filter cleans the grey water and it drips into the cistern which is then used to flush the toilets. This system can be used in both rural and urban settings,” he said.
Mr Gwekwe said if adopted at large-scale, the system can save water consumption in household by about 30 percent.
“It makes sense to use this grey water to flush the toilet than to use clean purified water from the supplier. Buying water to flush it away! This system will ensure water is conserved,” he said.
Furthermore in rural areas it can be used with water from rivers. The principal for the college Mr Gilbert Mabasa said the innovations by the college needed corporate intervention for them to be useful.
“I am impressed with the innovations and creativity of our staff and students. We are coming up with concepts that address the needs of the community. This is cost effective because they are locally made materials that are readily available. Again we are not compromising on quality for these products,” he said.
Mr Mabasa said the challenge most polytechnics were facing was the delink with industry to absorb these innovations on a commercial scale.
“We need to have partnerships for the product to benefit the community and also we need to have it patented so that people do not steal our student’s ideas,” he said.
The students in the civil engineering and construction department also came up with a solar water heating system particularly useful in the rural areas. Mr Gwekwe also explained how it works.
“You pour water into the geyser and close the lid. The geyser is connected to solar panels and this is what heats the water in the tank and it then moves through the pipes and out through a tap for use,” he said.
“So you can now have hot water in the rural areas where there is no electricity, it is also ideal for home use or small rural tourist attraction areas where there is no electricity.”
The geyser is made of sheet metal which is manageable even for low income earners.
The Government has been calling on colleges and universities to come up with innovations that help in the development of the country’s industry.