By Ben Kangwa
While in the last 20 years, Zambia has
undertaken various policy and institutional reforms in the water sector,
challenges such as, old and inadequate infrastructure, lack of connection
networks, intermittent water delivery and the poor performance of utilities
still remain in Lusaka.
Further, the capacity of water supply and
sanitation service provision has been stretched
by a rapid population growth of more than one million.
On 22nd March, 2012, the United States
Government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a bilateral United States
foreign aid agency established in 2004 approved a
US$354.8 million Compact with Zambia.
The Board of Directors’ decision
was arrived at its quarterly meeting chaired by US
Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to lay the foundation for systematic and
lasting change in Lusaka’s water, sanitation and drainage sector, a critical constraint
to economic growth in the country.
On May 10, 2012, the Millennium Challenge
Corporation (MCC) and the Zambian government are scheduled to sign the US$354.8
million five year Compact.
It is expected that through the Compact, the
Lusaka Water Supply, Sanitation and Drainage (LWSSD) project will provide
Lusaka residents greater access to water and better water supply, sanitation
and drainage services by extending and improving select water supply and
sanitation and through an improved drainage networks, lower flooding.
Speaking in Washington DC in April, 2012, when
he met the MCC Vice President – Department of Compact Operations
Patrick Fine and Andrew Mayock, Deputy Vice President for Compact Operations
for East and Southern Africa, Minister of Finance and national Planning Alexander
Chikwanda thanked MCC and the United States government for this gesture.
He said, “The Compact will be the single
largest investment in the water sector in Zambia since independence.
I also wish to thank the MCC for the technical
and financial support that was rendered during the preparation of the Compact.”
Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)
provided US$15 million to conduct studies as well as for start up costs for the
Accountable entity.
Mr Chikwanda said he was aware that there will
be more work to be done after the signing of the Compact.
Some of the critical work to be done will
include the preparation of detailed design studies for the sub-projects which
is expected to be completed in mid June 2012. Thereafter, the procurement of
the contractors is expected to take another estimated six months to be
completed. The actual construction is expected to begin in early 2014.
“As Government, we are looking forward to the
implementation of this project because the existing water and sanitation infrastructure
in Lusaka is old and the capacity has been overwhelmed by the rapid growth
of over two million compared to 134,000 at independence,” he added.
He noted that the programme only covers Lusaka
Province and that the intention of the Government was to leverage for more
financing to roll-out the programme to all parts of the country.
Against this background, the Minister said the
support of the American Government would be most welcome, especially as the
United States continues to lead the world in providing development aid even in
the face of the austerity measures in almost all high income economies.
Mr. Chikwanda also assured MCC of the
Government’s strong commitment to good governance, particularly the control of
corruption, ensuring voice and accountability, civil liberties and maintenance
of a conducive economic environment for business.
He stressed that Government would set aside
funds for sewer connections for poor households and maintenance of drains in
order to ensure that the Conditions Precedent in the Compact were met.
Earlier, MCC Vice President for MCC’s
Department of Compact Operations Patrick Fine said his organization was looking
forward to working with Zambia in this partnership with excitement.
He noted that Zambia would be the 24th country that his organization would be
working with in this partnership but warned that a great deal of work lay ahead
if everything envisaged in the Compact was to be completed on time.
“We are very happy with the relationship we
have with the new government and we hope that there will be no hitches to the
programme,” he said.
The Lusaka Water Supply, Sanitation and
drainage (LWSSD) project is indeed a large and complex project with many
components. MCC’s project selection criteria is anchored on sub-projects that
are technically sound, yield an economic rate of return of 10 per cent,
can be implemented within five years and are sustainable in the long term.
MCC supported the development of Investment
Plans for water supply and sanitation covering Lusaka Province, as well as a
priority drainage investment plan for flood prone areas in the City of Lusaka.
This is the framework under which the proposed investments in the LWSSD
infrastructure development will take place.
According to the Millennium Challenge
Account-Zambia website, the investment plans under the LWSSD project have a 25
year design horizon through to 2035.
The interventions are divided into short-term,
medium term and long term projects. Short-term projects are priorities up to
2015 while the long-term projects will extend up to 2035.
In late March 2012, at a town hall meeting
held at the MCC building in Washington DC, Millennium Challenge Corporation
(MCC) Chief Executive Officer Daniel Yohannes said in announcing the
decision by the Board of Directors,” We congratulate the Zambian people and the
Government of Zambia. MCC investments are expected to have a meaningful impact
on the lives of more than one million Lusaka residents by improving their
health and economic productivity and helping the country reduce poverty on a
sustainable basis by enhancing water security.”
Zambia’s Ambassador to the United
States, Mrs Sheila Siwela noted that the signing of the Compact
facility was very exciting news. This, she said, was indeed a joyous move
and a manifestation of the USA government’s approval of Zambia’s policies.
She added,” It is my hope that more
collaborations of similar nature will be forthcoming to Zambia. I am proud that
Zambia is a recipient of this funding.”
In Lusaka, US Ambassador to Zambia, Ambassador
Mark Storella added his voice, “ I congratulate the people and government of
Zambia for becoming one among a select group of countries to gain MCC approval
for an MCC Compact partnership.
Reliable water sanitation and drainage systems
are vital components for sustainable development and while mostly underground
and largely invisible to the casual observer, will improve the health of
Zambians, catalyze economic growth and continue to reduce poverty.”
Ambassador Storella concluded,” Together, we
have engaged with multiple stakeholders in intensive negotiations,
consultations and project development to achieve the five year US$354.8 million
Compact agreement with Zambia.”
It is therefore not surprising that a cross
section of residents in Lusaka recently shared their thoughts on the impact of
improved water supply, sanitation and drainage and reflected on how it affected
their lives in the Millennium Challenge Account – Zambia quarterly magazine
for February – April 2012 as follows
“I live in an area where intermittently we
have sewer blockages. Perhaps the system has outlived its design period. I look
at the improvements in residential housing in Lusaka; there are more people
residing on single plots, which possibly implies that the system needs to be
upgraded. Residential houses are wall-fenced without the control of storm
run-off, and that is one of the causes of occasional flooding in the city.
There are some well-planned areas that are not connected to the sewer network.
The impact of that is that in the long-term we will damage our ground-water
sources. We have good limestone aquifers in Lusaka, and if we contaminate these
aquifers we are likely to disturb the potential source of water, which is
ground water,” said Humble Sibooli who is Technical Support Manager at Water
Aid Zambia.
Social economist at Zulu Burrow, Muze Balasi
noted,“I might be privileged to have running water and a good sewer system but
not all of my family members are as privileged as I. I’ve been to most of the
peri-urban areas of Lusaka, and the problem of flooding is unimaginable. The
government is doing the best they can but the efforts need to be doubled, even
tripled. In fact, we should all double our efforts, in our own fields, and I
think we can all play a part in educating people – educating people about
hygiene and sanitation. We can do a lot by educating people because that is
where it starts.”
Dr. Maria Akani, a Registrar at Chainama
Hospital observed,“There are many diseases that people can contract from water,
even things like Hepatitis C, and many people don’t know that. In Zambia, one
thing that affects child health are diarrhoeal diseases because they compromise
the nutrition of the child and it’s difficult to control; their condition is
made worse because of diarrhoeal diseases. In places where there is not good
water supply or sanitation, where there are no proper toilets, it’s a big
challenge for the health sector, and we are still struggling with high infant
mortality rates and child deaths. As a health professional, I know if we can
deal with water – generally – we will be able to overcome a lot of challenges.”
National Water Supply and Sanitation Council
(NWASCO) Director, Kelvin Chitumbo was quoted as saying, “Currently, the
situation is one where every person who builds a house puts up their own septic
tank, whereas we should have a situation where most of the areas are connected
to the main sewer system. But we also have a situation where there has not been
enough coordination between the planning authorities and the service provider
to an extent where people have built houses and then they go to the utility
company for services; it should be the other way around. With a project such as
this, I hope it will enhance coordination, enhance planning and service
delivery and establish strong links between stakeholders that provide services.
We should strengthen that cord.”
George Ndongwe, Managing Director, Lusaka
Water and Sewerage Company said,“If there were improved water supply, it would
relieve us as a utility company. At the moment, we spend most of our time
grappling with inadequate water supplies for our people [customers]. If it were
improved, we might have more time to spend giving better service to customers,
making their experience more pleasant. On a personal note, I get affected when
I see that people have died on account of not having access to a good water
supply; it’s unnecessary suffering, it shouldn’t happen.”
With the afore said, access to water,
sanitation and hygiene will certainly improve the livelihoods and well being of
the general populace of Lusaka urban and per-urban residents. Clean water and
adequate sanitation will lead to improvements in health, school attendance,
productivity and entrepreneurship.
The writer is Press Secretary at the Embassy
of the Republic of Zambia in Washington, DC.
