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- Zambia
- Water supply shortages in Zambia
Problems
Zambia is experiencing water supply shortages
Zambia is experiencing water supply shortages. After a lengthy drought, Zambia is facing severe water problems and electricity shortages, with reservoir levels remaining worryingly low despite recent rain. Water levels in Lake Kariba, the world’s largest artificial lake at more than 5,500 sq km, have dropped by six meters from 2017. About half of Zambia's total electrical power comes from the Kariba dam. However, this key source of low-carbon power is susceptible to climate-driven impacts in the region. Climate change is causing a two-fold effect in Zambia: months of drought are followed by sporadic torrential rains that are destroying crops and infrastructure. Poor hygiene and limited access to clean drinking water cause diseases such as diarrhea and cholera, which are very common and potentially lethal. To help safeguard Zambian farmers engaged in traditional rainfed agriculture, the Government of Zambia partnered with UNDP, WFP, and FAO for a conservation agriculture project co-financed for USD 137.3 million with the GCF.
Gallery
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Timelines
2022
October 22
Kabwe has been hit by an erratic water supply, a situation that has forced the residents to go for over two months without life’s most essential commodity - water. The residents have told that they are badly affected by the continued water shortages because they can only access piped water between 05:00hrs and 10:00hrs in the mornings.
2020
The study found that 75 percent of household-stored water was contaminated with E. coli, leading to frequent diarrhea and subsequent poor nutritional absorption. Poor nutritional absorption has caused Zambia’s high rate of child stunting and prevalent failure to thrive. Additionally, because women and girls are overwhelmingly responsible for fetching water for their families, they are also often the most affected by waterborne illnesses and their consequences.
2019
December 10
An estimated 2.3 million people in Zambia are on the brink of starvation, threatened by a severe drought caused by dwindling rainfall, which its president Edgar Lungu has explicitly linked to climate change, though some scientists add that we should be cautious to make this connection. In particular, Zambia's maize-growing Southern and Western provinces have been hit hard by droughts, a situation that has prompted the government to impose an export ban on the grain. Despite calls urging the Zambian government to declare a food emergency amid the worst droughts in nearly four decades, the government insists the country has enough food and the situation is under control. The world's largest man-made reservoir, the Kariba Dam – which has provided electricity to Zambia and Zimbabwe for over five decades – hasn't been spared by the droughts. According to the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA), in recent months the inflows of water from the Zambezi River that feed it have dwindled to a third compared to a year ago.
2014
December 10
The shortage of water seems to be getting worse in many parts of the country, especially for Lusaka residents, most of whom now spend sleepless nights looking for the commodity. Water supply in Zambia’s capital remains a challenge and has been exacerbated by delayed rainfall leading to receded water levels in key sources of the resource. It goes without mention that the underground water tables have also significantly receded and cannot satisfy the growing demand.