Peter Morgan: an unsung legend

Morgan was recently named the 2013 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate for his work in the invention of sanitation and water technologies by the Stockholm International Water Institute.

Quiet research

In an interview with The Zimbabwean he expressed surprise at being awarded the prestigious international award.

“It came as a great shock to me because I am a person who works very quietly. I am a Zimbabwean, I have helped the programmes here over the years by designing certain things and I’m still doing research on a very quiet scale. I give that work to the government and put it on the website to be available throughout the world,” said Morgan.

Born in the United Kingdom in 1943 he is a naturalised Zimbabwean. He says it is the nature of researchers to be quiet and accepts recognition from the award with modesty.

“I think it’s a great honour to be awarded this prize. I guess I have worked for a very long time on the subject but it’s also good for the country because it puts what’s happening here in a good light,” he said.

Blair latrine and others

Among his famous inventions are the Bush Pump and the Blair Ventilated Improved Pit Latrine, which have been adopted by the government. The Blair latrine now serves more than three million people in the country.

“I suppose if an idea spreads it’s probably got merit. It has become very well known throughout the continent, that’s not because of my own propaganda. I think that’s because probably it worked and it was actually taken up by organisations like the World Bank,” he said.

He intends to use his prize money to ease himself into retirement and also continue with his work.

“There is a financial benefit from it which will help me because I am over 70-years-old. I am of pensionable age but I have no pension and I also want to continue to do work,” he said.

Rich reward

The Stockholm Water Prize Laureate receives $150,000 and a crystal sculpture.

“For about 40 years I have been extremely busy. Unfortunately I have had prostate cancer. I am a bit slower than I used to be but I wish to continue doing work. I am doing research work right now under my own direction and finance that could be meaningful to this country and other countries. I have a research site in Epworth and I do work in my own backyard,” he said.

Some of his work is done in schools.

“With my assistant, Annie Knyemba, we have done work on ecological sanitation looking into recycling nutrients. We have done research into upgrading family wells, into the B type bush pump, and hygiene and hand washing,” he says.

Morgan is the director of Aquamor (Private) Limited, “a small private research and development company based in Harare”.

He said there were still a number of areas in sanitation that needed to be actively promoted. The concept of the family well is one that is unique to Zimbabwe and needs to be developed.

“Many people use family wells in this country and as public supplies and community supplies do not function, people move towards helping themselves. Even in the cities, large numbers of wells are being used and that’s a trend which in one way has advantages as well as disadvantages so I think to promote that is very sound,” he said.

Necessary repairs

Morgan pointed out that here were over 50,000 water points in the country. He said many of these were in need of rehabilitation or repair while there was also need for new pumps.

“The aid coming in from certain donors is intended to rehabilitate many of those hand pumps. Some of it is intended to drill new boreholes and I believe that the best approach that any donor can make is to re-establish working boreholes where the boreholes exist but the pump is not functioning. I think that’s very important.

“If you have 50,000 boreholes and pumps and two thirds of them are not working, which is the case here, then the first priority should be to ensure that those that are not working are made to work. Sometimes it’s simple maintenance, sometimes the pump needs rehabilitating, sometimes the pump needs replacing,” he said.

He emphasised that installation and management was very important, pointing out that many manufacturers were failing to make the pumps according to exact specifications.

Sanitation and water supply in urban areas is a cause of concern to Morgan. He said a situation where people were searching for water and had poor sanitation facilities “is perfect if you want to generate disease”.

“I think what’s happening is a tragedy. There are ways of fixing it and I am sure that many of the field organisations are looking at that one,” he said.

Morgan is still in touch with friends in government.

“I have very happily given my colleagues in the government my material. It’s freely available to them because, as a researcher, my role is to research and develop things and write them up and then give them away,” he says.

Morgan’s final words are of appreciation of the role played by the government in helping his work.

“You could say that in this country the government and researchers have worked hand in hand. To have what we have now in this country, things had to be endorsed by the government of Zimbabwe through the Environmental Health Department within the Ministry of Health. That’s pretty unique for research work to be directly endorsed by the government and I think that’s what makes Zimbabwe very special. We have actually adopted research from our own nationals. I think that Zimbabweans should be very proud of that,” he says.

African governments in countries such as Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, and Zambia from time to time make use of Morgan’s expertise in rural water supply and sanitation programmes.

He has received a number of awards and distinctions, including the International Inventors Award, The AMCOW AfricaSan Award for Technical Innovation in Sanitation, and the Rural Water Supply Network Award for Lifetime Services to Rural Water Supply.