De Montfort University Experts Look At New Technology For Treating Wastewater In Ghana

Main Category: Water - Air Quality / Agriculture
Article Date: 19 May 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Improving sanitation and wastewater treatment in Ghana's cities and towns is the focus of a week-long event being led by a De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) researcher.

Parneet Paul, of the University's Water Software Systems Research Group, has organised the workshop, which will be held in the West African country's capital, Accra and will be attended by local scientists, researchers and engineers.

Wastewater is water which has been contaminated while being used for a specific purpose. Contaminants typically include sewage, biological materials or industrial by-products.

The workshop will focus on the use of new sanitation methods to treat, reduce and reuse wastewater generated on-site by large facilities, such as hospitals, public slaughterhouses, city markets and local businesses.

Parneet said: "Many organisations and businesses in Ghana don't have the financial resources to install and operate some of the more advanced treatment systems that are commonly used in Europe."

"Recent technological developments and a continuing radical change in attitude towards waste generation mean that new, low-cost solutions are increasingly becoming available for developing countries."

"During the workshop, we will look at a number of these solutions to determine which are the most appropriate for large urban polluters in Ghana."

He added: "We will follow up the workshop with extensive field visits, advising on the design of low-cost, sustainable and energy efficient water and sanitation systems specifically for public and commercial industry based in Ghana's most heavily urbanised areas."

The week-long 'Water and Sanitation' thematic workshop is being held at the University of Ghana in Accra from Monday 19 May to Friday 23 May. It is funded by a grant from The Royal Society for £9,450 under their UK / Ghana Networking Scheme.

The workshop will explore a number of options that could be used by industries and organisations in Ghana, including different types of toilets and septic tanks and alternative sewage treatment methods.

The Water Software Systems (WSS) Research Group researches and develops computer-based methods for solving engineering problems in the water industry. WSS is one of the leading independent UK research and development groups and provides a range of tailor-made services including consultancy, software development and training.

De Montfort University Leicester

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