Uklonyeliswe Ngendondo Kasoseshini woNjiniyela eMhlabeni uSihlalo woCwaningo Ngezinsisa zaManzi

BY: .

Click here for English version

USolwazi Jeff Smithers, onguSihlalo wokuCwaninga ngeZinsiza Zamanzi neZindlela Ezintsha e-Umgeni Water (Umgeni Water Chair of Water Resources Research and Innovation), nonguMqondisi weSikhungo sokuCwaninga ngeZinsiza Zamanzi e-UKZN, i-Centre for Water Resources Research (CWRR), uhlonishwe njenge-Distinguished International Associate (DIA) yi-Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng), eNgilandi.

Uhlelo lwe-RAEng DIA lugqugquzela ukuqiniswa kwamaxhama nokuxhumana phakathi konjiniyela bomhlaba asebezuze lukhulu kulomkhakha, izikhungo nabasebenza ngabodwana e-United Kingdom ngombono wokuthuthukisa umphakathi obanzi womhlaba noma ukuxhumana konjiniyela abaseqophelweni eliphezulu abahlukahlukene emhlabeni emikhakheni yabo ngokwehlukana kwayo. Lokhu kunomthelela kokuzuzwa yi-RAEng okufaka phakathi umnotho nomphakathi ongasezibenzisi budlabha izinsiza.

Zibalelwa kwi-12 izinhlangano eziklonyeliswayo ngonyaka kulesi sikhungo. Lo msebenzi ubandakanya nemali yokulekelela ocwaningweni lwezinyanga ezifinyelela kwezingama-24 nokubambisana kwabaxhumana ngalolu hlelo lwamazwe omhlaba lwe-DIA ngemicimbi ehlukene. Lokhu kulekelela ukuthi kube nokubambisana ocwaningweni oluhambisana namasu aseqhulwini e-RAEng futhi alekelela emphakathini wonjiniyela emazweni anama-DIA.

Iprojekthi ka-Smithers njenge-DIA izobheka izindlela ezintsha zokuhlola nokudweba izindlela zokulwa nobungozi bezikhukhula eNingizimu Afrika uma kubhekwa ukuguquguquka kwesimo sezulu. Uzoqhubeka nokusebenzisa olunye ucwaningo lwangaphambilini oluxhaswe ngemali i-RAEng, u-Smithers uzosebenza nabacwaningi baseNyuvesi yase-Bath nabezinye izikhungo e-United Kingdom ngenhloso yokulekelela ukulwa okubhekene nobungozi bezikhukhula, kubalwa kukho ezokuhlela nokuvikelwa kwezakhiwo okubalwa kuzo amadamu, amabhuloho, nezitamkoko, nokubheka umonakalo ongadalwa ukuguquguquka kwesimo sezulu.

U-Smithers, osethole izinkontileka ezehlukene kwi-RAEng eminyakeni emihlanu eyedlule, ugqamisa ukubaluleka kokwesekwa nemiphumela yokusebenza ngokubambisana okudalwa ukuphonsa esivivaneni ngolwazi, izisombululo, nezindlela ezintsha zobunjiniyela eNingizimu Afrika.

Ikakhulukazi, lokhu bekugxile ekusebenzeni ngokubambisana kwelakuleli nasemazweni omhlaba nokuthuthukiswa kohlelo i-National Flood Studied Programme (NFSP) eNingizimu Afrika, nokugcineka kokudla, amanzi nokuvikelwa kwamandla e-Afrika ngokwesekwa yi-Pan African Society for Agricultural Engineering.

‘Ngiyaziqhenya ngokuthola ukuhlonishwa yi-RAEng nokuthi ngikwazi ukuqhubeka nokucwaninga ngokuhlanganyela ezingeni lomhlaba.’ kusho u-Smithers

Lokhu kuhlonishwa okuxhaswe wuMgeni Water obekuseSikoleni soNjiniyela, i-School of Engineering kuvuselelwe ngo-Mbasa 2021 kanti manje kusehlandleni lesibili eminyakeni eyishumi lokuxhaswa wuMmgeni Water ukuze kuvuselelwe ucwaningo ngokuphathwa kwezinsiza zamanzi nokuqhamuka namaqhinga amasha e-UKZN. Ithimba labacwaningi abasezingeni lomhlaba ngaphansi kobuholi buka-Smithers lizokhiqiza izindlela ezintsha zokucwaninga ezinomthelela oseqophelweni eliphezulu. Lokhu kugqugquzela ososayensi bamanzi, onjiniyela nabacwaningi ukuthi baqhamuke nolwazi oluthe thuthu ngomnotho ukuze bahlangabezane nezingqinamba zokugcina izinsiza zamanzi.

Okuhamba phambili ku-Smithers ukwakha amandla abantu nokubhekelela ukusungulwa kolwazi olusha nezindlela ezintsha zokubhekana nezingqinamba zokumelana nokwanda kwesidingo sezinsiza zamanzi ngokubheka ukuthuthukiswa kwengqalasizinda yamanzi, ukuphathwa nokongiwa kwemvelo. Lokhu kuzophumelela ngokufundisa okuseqophelweni eliphezulu abenza iziqu zokuqala zokucwaninga, imikhankaso efinyelela kubantu kanye nokusebenzisana ngokubambisana nabakulo mkhakha, uhulumeni, izinsiza zombuso kanye nezinhlangano zokucwaninga.

U-Smithers ungunjiniyela obhaliswe ngokusemthethweni osehlomule ngokunconywa nokutuswa emsebenzini wakhe wokuba yisifundiswa. Njengesitshudeni sakudala seNyuvesi yase-Natali, ufundise kulesi sikhungo - esesibizwa nge-UKZN - kusuka ngowe-1989, kanti uqokwe ngengoSolwazi woNjiniyela beZolimo, i-Agricultural Engineering ngowezi-2004. Ube yiNhloko yeSikole se-Bioresources Engineering and Environmental Hydrology iminyaka eyisishiyagalolunye waba yingxenye yomkhandlu weNyuvesi obhekelela ukufundisa nokucwaninga i-Univerisity’s Senate, kanti useke waba yingxenye yamabhodi amaningi namakomidi. 

Usehlonishwe ngemiklomelo eminingi e-UKZN kanye nakososeshini balo mkhakha akuwo nakulabo asebenzisana nabo emazweni omhlaba okubalwa nokuba nguSolwazi ohamba phambili, waba yi-Adjunct Professor, esikhungweni sonjiniyela abasemkhakheni wezolimo eNyuvesi yase-Southern Queensland e-Australia.

Ubuye waba yingxenye ye-South African Institute of Agricultural Engineers (SAIAE) njengomongameli, iphini likamongameli, kanti uyaqhubeka nokuba yilungu lalo mkhandlu.

Waklonyeliswa ngendondo eseqophelweni eliphezulu i-SAIAE gold medal ukuqhakambisa amagalelo akhe abonakalayo, nobuholi bakhe esikhungweni kanye namagalelo akhe emkhakheni we-Agricultural Engineering. Uyilungu elasungula i-Pan African Society for Agricultural Engineering (PASAE) kanti njengamanje, unguNobhala-Jikelele kuyo le nhlangano.

Amagama: ngu-Christine Cuénod

Isithombe: Sithunyelwe