BWB, UNIMA signs MoU

By Yamikani Yapuwa

Blantyre, July 24: Blantyre Water Board (BWB) has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with University of Malawi (UNIMA) where the board would be using UNIMA’s laboratories for water testing with the latter sending chemistry students for internship.

Speaking at the signing ceremony on Monday in Blantyre, BWB Chief Executive (CEO), Dr Robert Hanjahanja said the MoU provides an opportunity for them to verify the quality of BWB’s water through the school laboratories.

“The water that we treat and supply in the city of Blantyre complies with Water Organization standards as well as Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) with above 95 percent compliance and we are always confident with the water that we distribute.

“It is good practice for a third party to have a look at what you are doing and just to make sure that what you are saying and committing to the public is indeed very viable and true.

“We will have access to UNIMA’s chemistry laboratory so that if there are any tests that we want to do but we do not have the facilities, we can take advantage of the fact that they have a state of art laboratory,” he said.

Hanjahanja added that UNIMA would help them with second opinion in case there are any queries from customers as well as issues that have risen from MBS.

The CEO said that the partnership would grant the Board an opportunity to give back to the community as they would be taking in Chemistry students from UNIMA to work with the board as attachés.

UNIMA’s Deputy Vice Chancellor, Dr Sunduzwayo Madise said the institution is very prepared to implement the MoU with BWB as it already has the expertise, the highly sophisticated chemistry and chemical engineering laboratory as well as students who are eager to learn and offer insights.

Madise said the experience that students would get while doing internship at BWB would go a long way in giving them specialized training to enable them have experience when they go and start working wherever they want.