BIH delivers water purification system to Sojwe residents
Botswana Innovation Hub (BIH) will commission a solar powered water purification system this Friday at Sojwe village kgotla. This development is a result of a fruitful collaboration between the Hub, Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) and Hydrocon-Green, a citizen company. The objective of the water treatment plant, according to BIH is to create a sustainable clean and purified water supply that improves the quality of life for communities. This hand over follows a successful commissioning of a mobile saline water treatment technology unit to the residents of Zoroga village in July 2017. According to BIH, the technology is designed to treat any type of water into drinking water. It eliminates all solids, impurities, chemicals, bacteria and viruses from raw water. So far, Botswana has not been able to sustain technologies that are able to desalinate underground water that the country mostly depends on. BIH also worked with the Embassy of Israel to Botswana to identify key strengths in clean technologies from Israel, which can lead to initiatives to forge partnerships in water and energy related technologies that best suit the local environment. The partnership also seeks to work with local research and water quality organisations to better their products locally. The introduction, testing and further development of the technology can be used as a basis for design and implementation of local water treatment and purification centers in rural areas. BIH says the dual water treatment system is one of the innovations that have the potential of positive national impact given that the country experiences high water stress and incidents of salinity of underground water reserves. Double Stage Water Treatment System integrates elements of: coagulation, cyclonic separation, double stage filtration and disinfection; as well as a Reverse Osmosis System for removal of salts at Zoroga village in the Nata-Gweta area. BIH is pursuing an initiative to develop solar testing and demonstration facility. The technical feasibility study of the project has made recommendations on the options for implementing the project and has also identified critical stakeholders that need to be involved for the successful implementation of the project