Zambia National Student Union (ZANASU) has challenged researchers in various areas of engineering and water management to bring up ideas on how best water can be conserved as a way to curtail excessive load shedding.
ZANASU President Misheck Kakonde said researchers in various universities, colleges and trade schools must come up with solutions and put up conservation strategies on how the rain water can be stored as a way to end the predicament of power outage in the country.
“ZESCO should not see this rain season as an opportunity to enjoy mangoes or vitunguza (wild fruit) but time to redo the saga at the Kariba dam, and engage in serious research on how new ways of wind energy and solar can be suggested to Government and be implemented,” he said.
Kakonde has advised researchers to give lasting solutions on how best wind energy and solar can be sustainable to the country, adding that the Rural Electrification Authority (REA) board should engage Government and implement alternative energy sources in the rural areas.
He said Government must move away from prioritizing hydroelectricity and instead consider it an alternative source of power as it has proved inefficient to the country.
He has pointed out that Government must also explore ways of reducing charcoal burning by educating people involved on the dangers it creates to the environment and where possible empower them with businesses.
“Through our countrywide student leadership, ZANASU will put up an educational system to charcoal burners in various provinces,” he said.
Kakonde further mentioned that as ZANASU advises Government to summon all planning departments in the energy sector to seriously focus on unforeseen problems such as this year’s Kariba dam failure to generate sufficient power for the country as a result of low water levels.
Meanwhile, opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema has pointed out short-term measures to curb electricity power shortage in the country such as waiving duties on all solar products, cut cost on fuel and gas, and remove duties on solar water installation kits and other accessories so that citizens can easily access them.