By
Daily News Reporter
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 drought across
the country and 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
drought and 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 says this is because of some illegal
settlements where some people have encroached recharge areas.
But
Lusaka Water Supply and Sanitation Company (former) Public Relations Manager Nshamba Muzungu said
that 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.
