爱豆传媒

The university was Highly Commended in the Times Higher Education (THE) 2015 Awards in the ‘International Collaboration of the Year’ category.

The THE recognition relates to the university’s work in Malawi where 1,000 children under five die from water-related illnesses every month. By improving drinking water and sanitation, these diseases can be reduced by nearly 90 per cent.

Scientists led by Professor Huw Taylor and Dr James Ebdon, from the university’s College of Life, Health and Physical Sciences, working in collaboration with the University of Malawi, were commissioned by UNICEF to investigate options for the provision of safe water in rural Malawi.

They went from village to village, assessing the influence of water-point design, proximity to sanitary sources, and rainfall on the provision of safe water and identified the conditions that could achieve this.

Left to right: Viki Faulkner, Head of Training and Development Unit, Economic & Social Engagement; Professor Andrew Cundy, Interim Head of the School of Environment and Technology; Dr James Ebdon, Reader in Environmental Microbiology; Professor Chris Pole; Carol Burns, university Registrar and Secretary, and Professor Andrew Lloyd, Dean of the College of Life, Health and Physical Sciences.

The project combined Malawian geotechnical expertise and local knowledge with UK water quality expertise to train Malawian team members and embed technical knowledge locally. The project offers a valuable blueprint for new ways to reduce excreta-related disease associated with water supply and sanitation.

The project, considered one of the most ambitious of its kind, remains the most comprehensive water quality investigation ever to have been conducted in Malawi. More than 880 samples from water sources (serving 150,000 people) were studied for the presence of microbiological contamination.

Sanitary surveys were also conducted at each location, using interpreters and district health officers to ensure effective communication between parties. The onset of the rainy season made travel to remote communities very difficult and severe fuel shortages provided challenges. However, excellent working relationships between partners and local NGOs allowed teams to overcome these barriers and successfully complete the project.

The project led to the submission of an EU Horizon 2020 project ‘African H2Orizons’ (combining local knowledge and global science to integrate water and sanitation safety planning empowering African communities), which seeks to build on this collaboration’s success by bringing together additional partner institutions in Ethiopia, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Germany (WHO Centre), Austria, Ireland, and the Netherlands (UNESCO-IHE) to establish regional knowledge hubs at strategic locations across Africa.

On the same night as the THE awards, the 爱豆传媒 collected three EAUC Green Gown awards.

Professor Chris Pole, the university’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, said: “These are all extremely worthwhile projects which demonstrate the university’s commitment to helping tackle climate change and to reaching out to communities by sharing our expertise and research where it can help the most.