Safeguarding Durban's Environment and People

Preshod Ramlal (42) fights the scourge of pollution every day as Senior Environmental Health Practitioner at eThekwini Municipality’s Health Unit in order to protect both the environment and the health of Durban’s population.

Excellence is never an accident; It is the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, skillful execution, and the vision to see obstacles as opportunities – Unknown.

Preshod Ramlal DUT Master of Health Sciences in Environmental Health graduate

His job sees him inspecting, permitting and auditing industry (air, water, noise, land pollution), investigating environmental pollution, health surveillance of premises, water supply and sanitation, and attending to food safety complaints.

“I have the education, training and practical skill set needed to analyse, provide input and implement legislative requirements, informal and industrial inspections with an overall objective of regulatory compliance, and am particularly adept at applying, implementing and enforcing City bylaws with a strong focus on public health and the environment,” said Ramlal, who clearly loves his job.

Ramlal is also a member of the Inner Thekwini Regeneration and Urban Management Programme (ITRUMP), which inspects bad buildings, illegal accommodation establishments, nightclubs and liquor outlets.

Although he currently specialises in environmental pollution, he has also dealt with food safety, occupational health and safety, informal settlement and community development, informal trade, healthcare risk waste, indoor air quality, environmental management and research and development in his career.

“As we navigate through the phases of our country’s lockdown measures, it is important for everyone to know that the threat of SARS-Cov-2 and other potential outbreaks is far from over. Indeed, this is a period of transition and not just reverting to some sort of normalcy,” stressed Ramlal. “This means that post COVID-19, we all have a social, moral and legal obligation to rethink and behave differently. It means that each one of us will have to conduct ourselves in a way that will protect and care for each other. Perhaps the biggest lesson of the pandemic is to show us that the world is one big family asking for love, understanding, humility, compassion, empathy and ultimately striving for common humanity…

“Nonetheless, we must all persevere, and for me personally, COVID-19 pandemic has not dampened my dreams and aspirations.”

His teaching experience within his role has entailed lecturing student nurses between 2006 and 2012 from various state hospitals and private nursing institutions; advising the DUT’s Environmental Health Workgroup

Don’t make assumptions, let good research speak for itself.

on academics and syllabus; supervising and training Environmental Health students from DUT and MUT annually; moderating MUT third-year Epidemiology students; and assisting, mentoring and supporting various top officials on technical assessments, writing reports, press statements and advising on different issues in environmental health.

Ramlal was born and raised in Kenville, Durban within a family of two sisters, one brother, a dad who owned a trucking company (who died when Ramlal was 10), and a mom who was a housewife. He attended Kenville Primary and matriculated from Sea Cow Lake Secondary School. He was always encouraged to study hard and instead of toys, his mom took him to the public library and bought him many books, which encouraged him to read. “This was, perhaps, the beginning of an early academic career, which has moulded my interest in learning and research throughout the years.”

Ramlal chose a career in Environmental Health because of its diversity in study disciplines and the incredible scope of work that practitioners were exposed to. “I applied and was accepted for Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry at DUT but on the day of registration, it was kind of a selfrealisation moment and I just could not see myself in a white coat working in a laboratory for the rest of my life.”

“During my studies for my National Diploma: Environmental Health (1996-1998), I met incredible and amazing academic leaders and staff at DUT,” said Ramlal. “In fact, I keep in contact with some of them who continue to be role models and career and life skill mentors.”

After studying, Ramlal became a meat inspector/hygiene officer/classifier at various abattoirs in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng from 1999 to 2002.

Work hard, pray hard, play hard, and more importantly, travel!

Living by the adage: “Students are rated by what they finish, not what they attempt,” Ramlal returned to DUT in 2003 to study for his Bachelor of Technology Degree in Environmental Health, which he obtained cum laude and for which he received the Dean’s Merit Award for Academic Excellence. Next came his Honours in Administration in Public Administration (cum laude) from UNISA (2013), followed by his Master of Technology Degree in Environmental Health (DUT) (2016).

Taking the bold and crazy step of pursuing a PhD degree at UKZN in Life Sciences (with hectic work and family commitments) is Ramlal’s biggest achievement to date: “Be prepared for huge sacrifices and shortened evenings and weekends!”

Ramlal believes that the most valuable things you can contribute to others is your time and knowledge. “I have, over the years, encouraged family members, students, colleagues and sometimes even strangers to pursue their studies and to travel… nothing will allow you to obtain firsthand knowledge of people, places and culture like travel!”

Ramlal’s family, with whom he loves to spend time, is composed of a “loving, supportive, incredible and amazing spouse”, Naina (an operations manager in the labour brokerage sector), two sons: Tusshar (12) and Abhay (8) and his “leading light/pillar of strength”, his mom, who lives with them in Sea Cow Lake. “I used to enjoy watching my favourite football team Manchester United, but these days they cause me more stress than relaxation!” joked Ramlal.

RAMLAL’S TIPS FOR A BETTER ENVIRONMENT

Alumni have the knowledge, skill set and a responsibility to promote human health and well-being and foster health and safety at home and in their communities: • Practice good hygiene by keeping clean and washing regularly • Drink clean water • Have a healthy, balanced diet • Reuse, reduce and recycle as far as is reasonably practicable all waste generated in your homes • Understand and take all reasonable measures to prevent air, noise, water and land pollution • Organise community meetings and campaigns to raise awareness on environmental sustainability and the fact that we depend on the environment for energy and the materials needed to sustain life