Government has expressed happiness at the innovation of the main Hydro power station in Mporokoso district.
Science and Technology permanent secretary Dr. Paul Zambezi says government will
make every effort to protect the site and replicate the idea so that it serves the people in the district and northern province at large.
Dr. Zambezi described the power generating station as an asset that can serve the
communities for both domestic and industrial purposes.
Dr. Zambezi said this when he visited the site where Charles Mumba , a resident of
Mporokoso has established hydro power using a generator, tractor rim and other
components at Kapumo falls on Mutotoshi river.
And Northern Province permanent secretary Joel Ngo said the province has many water
falls that can provide electricity.
Mr. Ngo said there is need to expand the idea in an effort to reduce poverty in the
province.
He further said, the idea can properly be spread on other falls so that people are able to use cheap electricity.
He added that the move will also help to open up irrigation projects, hammer mills and inter-net cafes that can reduce illiteracy in the province.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mumba has appealed to government to help him expand the idea.
He said it took him seven years to develop the power station which he has been using to generate electricity for his domestic use for the past five years.
Kapumo falls is five kilometers west of Mporokoso.
Well done Mr. Mumba. You are a true son of the soil. May God bless you.
The Government should move in to provide the necessary resources so that this idea is expanded. The Ministry of Science, Works and supply, Energy and local Government should move in ASAP.
Great work Mr. Mumba
Innovations such as these are welcome. It is gratifying to know that one man’s ideas can bless and hlep many out of poverty and underdevelopment.
Good work Mr. Mumba. Those are the ideas of enterpreneurship we need. It is good that you never relied on the government but you did it your own way. It is therefore advisable that your technology should be protected by patent rights. If it is to be replicated anywhere else, you should be entitled to a certain percentage of commission for having developed that technology. This is one way of showing appreciation to you and indeed it will encourage many others to come up with novel ideas. i salute you once more.
Its unblievable development and quite amazing idea.May God bless you abundantly.
Mr Mumba can you quickly go to Unza and tell this chap Dr Tamba Tamba of TDAU that laziness doesnot pay?
In bemba we say’ubunangani tabulisha kasuma’ Well done my brother, your MP must spear head such wonderful works.
Dr HK take note and learn from this true Zambian son
Good work Mr Mumba, get more help technically and moneywise from that money said in london court to expand your pj
abena mumba tukesa monako intweno ya ma laiti!!!
When Mr. Mumba appeared on the scene with this innovation a couple of years ago, he was not taken serious. Talk about the brains, innovation; this is it! What will it take, for Zambia to realise that it has all the brains within it’s borders. All that is needed is support. A tractor rim and some drums to generate electric power….not even NASA has been that innovative! The MAN should’ve been at State House on 25 May (Africa Freedom Day) as a recipient of a grand honour of the country.
Congrats Mr. Mumba. Our country should not be in the news for negative things all the time. Maybe you can teach a thing or two to that Luanshya man who sometime back wanted to make a plane for FTJ using witchcraft. Or the two female withces from Kabompo who crash landed in Lukulu recently. You’re a mentor to our youngsters (is JETS still in existence in our schools?). Once again, thumbs up to you. Progressive ideas should be supported.
mumba’s move is probabily the best news i have head from zambia in a long time. well this actually provides a challenge to institutions like the university of zambia school of engineering to work hand in hand with such individuals in order to improve such initiatives and also learn from such individuals. also the universities in zambia need to recognise individuals like mumba in which ever way possible. the challenge is also possed for universities in zambia to change their approaches towards training. the engineering training particularly has emphased on accademic achievement without enhancing skills trasfer. the question i would like to ask unza graduates in mechanical engineering is how many can actually turn a metal piece on the lathe.the challange is actually on the way we design our academic programmes in answering today’s global deficit in skills.emphasis should be on design and manufacture and government need to chip in by providing the need research and development initiative
The heading is misleading – New Hydro power station??? tractor rim + generator+ etc=Hydro Power Station. Its like equating a kanthemba to a Mega Shopping Mall or Ngombe compound to a plush low density high cost area …Ngombe= Sunningdale????
Stop joking. Pliz put up something decent!!!!!
#12 Iwe Chipata boy,this is what I always fume about,you are very backwards,Hydro Power station is generation of power using water not always with turbines but any media which can spin water at high velocity to generate energy.What is the fussy.Kabiye ku Kapoche mukulolela dvelopment which only comes at election time,if Fashion Banda wins the next development will come on 2011 that is if there is no by election.
Ulimpofu sana, just go make a similation using RATS +Holes+ Joseph’s Cabin +soil =Thermal power
Ba Engineer kuku #13 iam not interested in your fuming or crying, we need serious projects not JETS projects. You seem obsessed with blindness….- anyway Its normal for bemba chaps. try eating rats and we wont have all those impofus creating congestions in towns- misplaced human capital. Otherwise you are better off making “hydro power stations” in all houses …. just use elevated taps, create enough height and every bemba chap will donate spoons+malegeni and bembaland will be self suffient in Hydro power!
Seriously speaking, all big ideas started as small ones. The Wright Brothers aeroplane cannot be compared to modern day’s Airbuses (in terms of sophistication). But guess what? The idea comes from that crude craft….only perfected over time.
Mr. Mumba should be commended. In some ‘scrap metal’ that could have easily ended on some ‘for export pile’ somewhere in one of Lusaka’s not so industrial properties, he saw an opportunity instead. If it takes spoons and taps to generate electricity, so be it. After all, it may be even cheaper.
if we all concertrated on developing zed we could have been better ,instead of persecuting pipo &spending unnecessarily on cases in london
surely this is just a simple version of a dynamo…the gentleman should be commended for his ability to use whatever components were available…but not lauded as the “next big thing”…
This Government should be concentrating on wind and solar power innovations…thats the way to go!!!!
nzima dont mix metalwork with mechanical engineering, just become one of the theoretical engineers aswell and feed your family. The ****in problem is that curriculum is not made by us. And then the huslers who control our deeds dont want an african like u and me to get all by ourselves. Not until we ourselves sit down to think about this shit deeply. look at zccm, how many craft schools did they have on the copperbelt? So let the university learn to integrate its programmes with the low institutions so that both stakeholders could get something. I hope lil craftmen will not insult engineers for not knowing how to use a lathe machine. Mazoka was just one of the mech engineers in very high standing in society. Was he required to use a lathe machine to run anglo?
Badboy try to be good for a while, do u think wind and solar are better than hydro in Zambia? Cant you appreciate the great hydro potentil in zambia. Of course its mainly on the zambezi river basin and on the northen parts of ichalo cha zambia. so if you so happen that u dont live in these places with great hydro potential, better keep zeeeeee!!!!
titus..think big!!!!..the initial investment in a dam is massive compared to solar and wind power!!!..not to mention the displacement of humans and animals!!!..maybe you will get the chinese to build it for you for free????..WAKE UP AND GET WITH THE PROGRAMME!!!!
titus..think big!!!!..the initial investment in a dam is massive compared to solar and wind power!!!..maybe you will get the chinese to build it for you for free????..WAKE UP AND GET WITH THE PROGRAMME!!!!
My slumber must have been deep, thanks-will try to wake and think big,but then how land is there in excess? displacing monkeys my the waterfalls should worry u really. These issues must be weighed and u will realise that the advantages of installing power facsilities are high and this is why even Iran is pushing foward. For your own info, I have dealt in the power industry for many years and I can tell you that solar has the least plant capacity factor(10%) while wind -(30%) hydro has the highest ranging from 40% to 90%. Cmon guys when u r dealing with pipo u gotta check whom u r talkin to okey!!! Good badboy..by the way ka solar pannel nako kali dula and then ulukungu lula chefya efficiency.
I meant enough excess land…..how land is there big
titus..the worlds environment is changing..it is predicted the planet will get a lot hotter…as it is rainfall across the world is starting to dwindle..pulling a few figures off the internet does not change the fact that we need to be more forward thinking..sun and wind power is the way to go!!!!
Titus and badbwoi, I am not trying to be an arbitrator between the two of you over your argument. I wish to simply indicate to both of you that as a country we are still developing and as such, we can’t only depend on one type of technology. We have to exploit whatever is within our reach with caution over enviromental issues. As a result, we have to integrate all the three technologies depending on which one is suitable in a particular area in view of the available resources. Where we feel hdydro has a potential and can be developed, let us go that way. Where we feel wind or solar can do, let us take an advantage and exploit the technologies.
good talk nkataboy
…Nice one Nkhataboy…you should become a referee!!!
I agree with Nkataboy too, we can use all the 3 technologies (solar, wind and hydro). For example Europe is flirting with the idea of using the Sahara desert to set up ‘solar farms’ for the reason of exporting energy to Europe. I thought of western zed for similar projects, I just wonder how wide spread the flooding is during the rainy season?? experts more info in this area of study! In fact they have already started the project in the sahara.
So I think Zed shouldn’t go Nuclear power. I don’t think we need nuclear power although we have alot of uranium, our safety standards are bad i.e. look at mining. It’s a shame Lpm’s gov’t has sold even the mines containing uranium. We need the uranium for building nuclear weapons just in case… but in the current situation alien armies will use the same uranium to keep us down and oppressed by using military machinery with nuclear warheads…the same uranium we are today giving out for free
Excellent example of local initiative and zambian innovation. I would like to know more about this gentleman and perhaps be of help. These are the zambians who are the key to the future of our people and they must be acknowledged and patronized by the state and society in general.
The scientific principles involved in this hydropower innovation are basic and not that advanced. But the design is both creative and strategic to his small scale farming needs and those of his surrounding local community who benefit from the hydropower generator. This makes his work interesting.
I’d like to see a picture or even video (much better) of his design! He’s done a good job!
zzR0ky comment4 ,
Very interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!