Page 27 - DUT Excellence 2024 S1

Adding his well-wishes was DUTVice-Chancellor and Principal,Professor Mthembu.
“We are gathered here because recently Professor Swalaha was promoted to full professor in the Faculty of Applied Sciences,” he added.
Giving more insight into the person behind the professorship was Professor Singh, who indicated that Professor Swalaha’s dedication and contributions to the university over the past 25 years have been exemplary.
“Professor Swalaha admits that his journey through academia has been driven by a deep-seated curiosity and a passion for mathematical modelling of biological systems.This passion has been nurtured by his mentors, Professor Hamanth Kasan and the late Professor Bharti Odhav, who have guided him through the complexities of his research. Professor Swalaha boasts an impressive academic background, highlighted by the attainment of a Doctorate in Technology from DUT in 2010,” he said.
Professor Singh elaborated that Professor Swalaha had throughout his academic career, consistently exhibited excellence and dedication to his studies.
Professor Singh further commented that Professor Swalaha has been a dedicated academic, and has built a remarkable career path, demonstrating strong leadership, scientific expertise, and strong commitment and dedication in various roles at DUT.
Professor Singh indicated that Professor Swalaha’s NRF C2 rating in 2022 showed his class as a strong researcher in biotechnology and more specifically in water technology.
Professor Swalaha, thank you for your support and leadership and being a great science ambassador, may you continue to achieve great success in your research endeavours and continue to create waves and liquify your future, and the Faculty of Applied Sciences welcomes you to its cadre of 10 inaugurated professors,” he said ecstatically.
The time came for the man of the hour to give an overview of his
topic of his lecture titled: Improving Water Quality for A Liquid Future. Professor Swalaha gave context on his topic of discussion, explaining that the water crises saying that over two billion people in the world do not have access to safe drinking water and this is exacerbated by the pollutants entering our watercourses.
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Billion PEOPLE IN THE WORLD DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO SAFE DRINKING WATER
“In South Africa, we have rapid industrialisation and uncontrolled urbanisation, leading to strain on the distribution and failure of treatment systems. There is an urgent need to develop technologies to treat pollutants in water to restore its safe supply and prevent environmental degradation. Research in the water sector is thus crucial for preserving and maintaining this vital resource,” he stressed.
Professor Swalaha said that there were challenges of rapid urbanisation and uncontrolled development in cities that strain the reticulation and treatment systems which are unable to cope with the massive increase in water demand.
He indicated that the consequences have been the failure of pump stations and treatment plants where raw sewage is going into the rivers and oceans, leading to the blockages in sewage pipes which are unable to manage volumes, consequently resulting in increased pollutants.
Professor Swalaha spoke of the urgent and ongoing need for water treatment technologies, detailing water scarcity where South Africa’s precipitation is below world average (464 vs 990 mm). He delved into the industrial pollution, climate change and erosion and sedimentation.
He then focused on the usage of waste materials from water to treat water and unpacking the science of metal adsorption on biological
25 DUT EXCELLENCE 2024