Increase sanitation infrastructure funding
By BENNIE MUNDANDO THERE is still need for Government to increase funding towards sanitation infrastructure improvement if the country is to meet its vision 2030 on the attainment of availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, the National Water Supply and Sanitation Council (NWASCO) has observed.
NWASCO public relations and communications manager Mpunga Chipepo –Simukwai told the Daily Nation that while Zambia was poised to meet the target for water coverage, there was a likelihood that the country would fall short on the target for sanitation unless more investment in infrastructure was made.
Ms. Simukwayi said current statistics showed that about 65 percent of the national population had access to clean drinking water while only 44 percent had access to improved sanitation facilities.
“The guiding policy for the country is vision 2030 which targets 100 percent water coverage and at least 90 percent sanitation coverage, more in line with SDG 6. Projections made indicate that if the current level of investments is sustained, the country will most likely meet the target for water coverage but will fall short on the target for sanitation. This entails that there is need to increase funding towards sanitation infrastructure improvement.
“About 65 percent of the national population have access to clean drinking water and 44 percent to improved sanitation facilities and this is against a projected total national population of about 17 million people as at 2017,” Ms. Simukwai said.
She said while cases of water pollution had been sporadic among water utility companies, challenges with regard to low water quality due to effluent discharges were still persistent in some areas and that one of the ways of overcoming the challenge was by improving coordination among all concerned parties and enhancing monitoring.
“The pollution cases have been sporadic of late, but challenges remain with low water quality because of historical and current effluent discharges particularly, in Chingola under Mulonga Water and Sewerage Company and Mwambashi under Nkana Water and Sewerage Company. One way of overcoming these challenges is improving coordination among all concerned parties and enhancing pollution monitoring.
“This can be attested to by continuous interaction between Nkana WSC and KCM in the case of Mwambashi dam. Furthermore, the council has revised the water quality monitoring guidelines that mandates utilities to take a risk assessment approach to water quality monitoring so that pollution is detected before it reaches the taps,” she said.
She further revealed that for the rural areas, the second national rural water and sanitation programme was under formulation and that it will take into account all investment requirements for the subsector to help the country attain its vision 2030.