Flooded houses in Kanyama Compound
Samuel Mbewe
Climate change is affecting water access
for many people in different parts of the country causing more severe droughts
and floods.
Increasing global temperatures are one
of the main contributors to this challenge as climate change impacts the water
cycle by influencing when, where, and how much precipitation falls.
Lusaka City is currently facing threats
to quality water due to severe floods mostly in areas such as Kanyama where
floods has become a perennial problem because of poor drainage system and that
the area sits on the impervious dolomite rock.
These floods affects access to quality
water as the residents in the compound depends on water kiosks were water is
intermittent. Other compounds include Misisi, Zingalume, Kalikiliki, Garden
house, Bauleni and Mazyopa compounds where they face water challenges either
during rainy season or dry season. As a result of erratic water supply most
residents draw water from shallow wells for their house chores.
In an interview with some residents in
Kanyama compound they said that access to quality water is a serious challenge
because during the rainy season the toilets which are mostly filled up mixes
with the flooded water risking the residents to waterborne diseases such as
typhoid, dysentery and cholera.
“We always face water challenges here in
Kanyama during the rainy season because of the floods, we depend on shallow
wells because we often experience erratic water supply from kiosks, said the
residents.
The other challenge in these areas is
the use of pit latrines which get filled and drains to the ground during the
rains threatening the ground water.
While Kanyama residents faces flood
related challenges, the situation is different from Bauleni compound residents who said
lack of water is a serious challenge in the area which environmentalists Robert Chimambo say
this is because of some illegal settlements where some people have encroached
recharge areas.
But Lusaka Water Supply and Sanitation
Company Public Relations Manager Nshamba Muzungu says climate change has
affected access to water in Bauleni as the main borehole has dried up.
“ I want to confirm that in Bauleni area
they are facing water challenges due the borehole that has dried up as a result
of climate change”, said Mr. Muzungu. He said the LWSSC is now distributing
the water using bowsers to help the affected residents.
Mr. Muzungu said the challenge is not
only in Bauleni compound but Zingalume where some boreholes belong to LWSSC
have been affected.
He said the company through Kafue Bulk
Water Supply Project will ensure that most compounds benefit and connected to
the network to enhance access to quality water.
Meanwhile, Water Aid Zambia Head of
Policy Campaigns and Communication Chitimbwa Chifunda has urged more funding to
water sector saying poor water, sanitation and hygiene are the main causes of
infections like cholera and diarrhea.
And the National Urban Water Supply and
Sanitation Programme (NUWSSP), which spells out government's roadmap on
improving access to clean water and sanitation, amplifies these two measures by
stating the investment needs of the sector.
Pursuant to Part II, subsection 4(2d) of
the Water Supply and Sanitation Act No. 28 of 1997 that mandates NWASCO to
develop sector guidelines on the management of water and sanitation services,
NWASCO is in the process of revising a Climate Risks Screening Guideline.
The guideline was developed for use by
practitioners in the country's water sector to help identify, eliminate or
allay adverse impacts that climate change may pose towards water infrastructure
and resources.
It provides guidance on systematic steps
practitioners can take to identify climate hazards and extenuating measures,
thereof, as they design and implement water supply and sanitation projects.
Although the guideline is primarily
intended for use on new projects, it will also be used to climate proof already
existing water supply and sanitation project t s and infrastructure by guiding
decision making for any modifications that may be required.
As a response to the growing water demand amid
dwindling water resources in the capital city which has seen increasing
urbanization and industrialization, an initiative called Lusaka Water Security
Initiative (LuWSI) was started in 2016 to contribute to the security of water
resources.
LuWSI, a multi-stakeholder collaboration
system between public sector, private sector, civil society and international
actors, aspires for a water secure city for its residents and businesses.
Currently, LuWSI has 25 members and the patron is the Ministry of Water
Development and Sanitation.
In line with one of its core functions
of assessing, prioritizing and monitoring water security threats and solutions,
impacts of climate change is one of the challenges LuWSI tries to address. As a
LuWSI partner, NWASCO hosts the LuWSI secretariat.
NWASCO has also collaborated with
partners in collecting information for the purposes of quantifying green gas
emissions for the sector and in identifying opportunities for reduction
including energy reduction.
The water sector must continue
developing climate change m mitigation and adaption measures in order to
safeguard its resource.
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