The , in collaboration with the , the and The , recently organised its second annual hackathon event for sixth form students. The 2-day “H2O – Rethinking water management in our homes” event was held on Friday 12 and Saturday 13 April 2024, as part of the global initiative.
Climate change, population growth and increasing water scarcity are inter-related issues at the global level. At the local level, Malta’s natural water supplies are not sufficient for the nation’s needs and have to be supplemented by other means such as desalination of sea water, and wastewater reclamation. Measures which increase the efficiency of water use, and thus reduce consumption, are required in order to sustainably manage this scarce resource.
Participating teams were set the challenge of formulating innovative ideas for improving water management in the home. After being briefed on water management issues and on Malta’s particular challenges in this field, students were also guided through a selection of idea generation tools. With the support of a team of mentors, participants then developed various proposals which they pitched to a judging panel.
Acting as mentors and members of the judging panel were academics from the collaborating organisations, as well as from UM’s Department of Geosciences and from the Institute for Climate Change and Sustainable Development.
The winning team from Ġ.F. Abela Junior College (Ms Sofiya Chuzhda, Ms Jasmin Cutajar and Ms Nolwenn Fremond) proposed the design of the 'Aquaglottis', a low-cost customisable under-sink grey water collection unit with an epiglottis-styled valve in the drain which would allow the user to decide whether the wastewater should be collected for reuse or be directed to drain. The full package presented included operation and maintenance instructions, as well as a manual air pump and disinfection mechanism.
The second placed team, made up of Ms Wiktoria Zapart (from Sir M. A. Refalo Sixth Form in Gozo) and Mr Karl Yousif (from St Aloysius College Sixth Form), formulated a proposal for the “AquaSavvy” app, a user-friendly tool designed to help households in Malta monitor their water usage in real time, to receive personalised conservation recommendations and to earn rewards for their efforts in saving water.
The two top-placed teams were awarded vouchers of €1000 and €500, respectively. A selection of photos from this event can be .
