Breaking the Barriers: Women Drive Call for Inclusive Water Governance in Zambia

By Daily News Reporter 

As Zambia joins the global commemoration of World Water Day, stakeholders in the water and sanitation sector are raising concern over the widening gap between policy commitments and real service delivery, particularly in rural communities and health facilities. 

WaterAid Zambia, NWASCO, and development partners have called for urgent investment, stronger implementation, and inclusive leadership under the theme “Gender and Water,” warning that without accelerated action, millions will continue to face unsafe water, poor sanitation, and heightened health risks—especially women and children who are most affected by WASH inequalities.

As Zambia marks World Water Day, water sector stakeholders have renewed calls for urgent action to bridge the gap between policy commitments and real service delivery, warning that inadequate investment and weak implementation continue to undermine access to safe water and sanitation, particularly in rural communities and health facilities and also by spotlighting the critical role of women in water governance and the urgent need to strengthen Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) systems across the country.

The discussion underscored a growing consensus: while Zambia has made progress in policy formulation, translating those policies into tangible improvements remains a major challenge—one that continues to affect maternal health, education outcomes, and overall community wellbeing.

At the center of the dialogue was a concern that policy commitments are not yet fully reflected in service delivery on the ground.

WaterAid Zambia Country Director Yakho Mataya said increased investment and stronger accountability mechanisms are needed to ensure that communities, especially those in rural areas, benefit from national WASH programs.

“Despite government efforts to improve access to water and sanitation, the sector still requires more women leaders, as they are the most affected by gaps in service delivery,” Mataya said.

She emphasized that the organization’s Time to Deliver campaign is pushing for safe deliveries in health facilities, where water and hygiene conditions are often inadequate, especially in rural settings.

Ms Mataya linked poor WASH services directly to maternal health risks, noting that preventable infections such as sepsis remain a major cause of maternal deaths.

“Water and sanitation services are closely tied to quality education, healthy communities, and functioning healthcare systems. Access to clean water is a key determinant of maternal health,” she said.

The urgency of improving WASH services in healthcare facilities was echoed by WaterAid Zambia Communications Officer Angel Phiri, who called for increased government funding and guaranteed access to clean water in public health centers.

He said persistent gaps in hygiene infrastructure compromise patient safety and undermine national health targets.

“These measures must be accompanied by tangible actions to address existing shortcomings in WASH services, especially in healthcare settings where clean water and proper sanitation directly impact maternal and child health outcomes,” Phiri said.

He further highlighted in his presentation that a broader concern that many health facilities—particularly in rural districts—continue to operate without reliable water supply, exposing mothers and newborns to avoidable risks.

Beyond infrastructure and funding, the discussion also turned to governance and representation, with stakeholders stressing that women remain central—yet often underrepresented—in water management systems.

NWASCO Director of Engineering Kelvin Chitumbo noted that women shoulder the greatest responsibility in managing household water, yet are not adequately represented in leadership structures that shape water policy and delivery.

“Despite progress in expanding water and sanitation services, women remain the primary managers of household water,” he said.

Chitumbo called for deliberate efforts to include women in decision-making processes within the sector, arguing that inclusive leadership leads to more effective and sustainable outcomes.

“This panel is more than a discussion; it is a platform to guide inclusive leadership, strengthen national programs, and ensure women’s perspectives are integrated into decision-making,” he said.

NWASCO Engineer Dr. Selenia Mbewe highlighted ongoing government initiatives aimed at improving inclusivity and strengthening WASH systems.

She cited the establishment of WASH Technical Working Groups, Emergency Response Teams, and parliamentary initiatives focused on wastewater and sanitation in public institutions as part of broader reforms.

Dr. Mbewe also noted that the Time to Deliver campaign continues to promote safe deliveries in rural health facilities while encouraging skills development for women and youth in the WASH sector.

She said gender analysis is increasingly being integrated into program design to ensure that investments respond to the needs of both women and men, particularly in underserved communities.

As discussions concluded, one message resonated strongly across the panel: Zambia’s water and sanitation challenges are not only technical—they are social, economic, and deeply gendered.

Stakeholders agreed that without accelerated investment, stronger political will, and inclusive leadership, the country risks slowing progress on health, education, and gender equality targets.

So for women in rural communities who walk long distances for water, and for mothers delivering in facilities without clean running water, the issue remains immediate—not abstract.

As many women in rural Zambia, the challenge of accessing clean water is not just an inconvenience but a daily struggle that directly affects their health and dignity.

In a small rural community outside Lusaka in Eastern province of Chongwe Province, a 28-year-old mother of three Alice Kunda, wakes up before sunrise to walk several kilometers to the nearest borehole. On most days, she joins a long queue of women and children waiting to collect water for drinking, cooking, and cleaning.

“Sometimes the water finishes before everyone is served, and you have to come back again the next day,” she says. 

“When the borehole breaks down, we are forced to use unsafe water from shallow wells.”

Memory recalls how her last childbirth experience was made more difficult by poor sanitation at the local health facility.

She was speaking to Daily News in Lwimba Chongwe during NWASCO Donated reusable menstrual wear pads to 400 school girls at Mulalika Primary and Secondary school .

“There was no reliable water in the delivery room. It made me very scared because I had heard of infections,” she explains.

She believes improved water services in her community and health facilities would ease the burden on women and reduce risks during childbirth. “If water was close and clean, life would be easier. We would spend more time taking care of our families instead of looking for water every day.”

The World Water Day dialogue served as both a reflection and a warning: Zambia’s water future depends not only on policy, but on action.