UCT Sustainable Campus project (Khusela Ikamva): Water Sensitive Campus work package underway

Future Water is exploring ways to incorporate Water Sensitive Design (#WSD) principles and Sustainable Drainage Systems (#SuDS) into UCT’s water management strategy. This is part of the university’s Khusela Ikamva project, which will be a key enabler in transforming the institutional fabric of UCT to a more sustainable campus.

Supervised by Future Water’s John Okedi in their final year undergraduate theses, Farai Mlambo and Dillon Barends looked at options for implementing Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) on campus. They identified sites and technologies to improve the university’s rainwater and stormwater harvesting and storage capacity. This year, we’re excited to begin implementing their recommendations on Upper Campus.

The technical research into the installation of fertilizer- producing urinals, led by Dyllon Randall, will continue to demonstrate alternative sanitation solutions for the university. Amber Abrams will facilitate the uptake and maintenance of the urinals together with the users and cleaning staff.

Khusela Ikamva is a trans-disciplinary collaborative effort to set the university as a ‘Living Lab’ and maximise its reach and impact through all of UCT’s community.