Upgrading a settlement s water system: Zambia

Transcription

1 12 Upgrading a settlement s water system: Zambia GENERAL INFORMATION Implementing institution: Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company (LWSC) Head: Mr. Chipulu (Managing Director) Details of institution: Address: Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company, Box 50288, Lusaka, Zambia Tel.: (+260) Fax: (+260) lwsc@zamnet.zm Implementation period: 1994 to Costs: The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) provided a US$21.76 million grant to cover construction and technical assistance. The Government of Zambia contributed in kind, with both time and cash equivalent to about 4 per cent of the JICA grant. 145

2 146 V OLUME 11: SAFE D RINKING WATER S UMMARY George Compound is an unregulated settlement of 130,000 residents on the edge of Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. The settlement is built on a limestone gravel rock formation and, although the residents use pit latrines, they also extract drinking water from shallow wells, often situated just a few metres from the latrines. In the early 1990s, outbreaks of diarrhoea and cholera were common owing to the practice of drinking water from these unprotected shallow wells. The Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company (LWSC), Department of Water Affairs, Government of Zambia, implemented a water supply and sanitation improvement project from 1994 to Project components included: construction of a groundwater piped water supply scheme; public health education; and a community empowerment programme. The major areas of impact of the project included: improvement of solid and human waste disposal and general hygiene conditions in the compound; reduction of the incidence of cholera from 70 cases per 10,000 people in 1994 to one case per 10,000 by 2000; and the empowerment of communities to look after stand posts, pay for their water consumption and use communal toilets. The proper identification of the community s needs and implementation of appropriate solutions have led to the sustainability of this community-based project. B ACKROUND AND J USTIFACTION Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia, is built largely on flat ground underlain by a limestone complex consisting of marble, dolomite, schist and laterite (fig. 1). The outskirts of the city are surrounded by settlements that, over the years, have been upgraded by providing roads, electricity, piped water and other municipal amenities. One such settlement is George Compound, home to some 13,000 people. Owing to low pressure in the municipal water scheme serving about half of Figure 1. The underlying rock of George Compound is mainly limestone, a type of rock that readily admits the intrusion of water and can lead to problems of contaminated water reaching shallow wells from pit latrines.

3 Upgrading a settlement s water system: Zambia 147 George Compound, there was no reliable piped water supply. In addition, old asbestos-concrete pipes in the network were always leaking. The unreliability of the supply forced residents to sink shallow, unprotected wells on their premises to provide their daily water requirements. However, owing to space limitations, shallow wells were sited just a few metres from pit latrines sunk in the limestone gravel formation. This situation resulted in the persistent faecal contamination of the water wells. During the annual wet season (November to May), waterlogging was common and helped to create further unsanitary conditions that created ideal conditions for the spread of water-borne diseases. During the 1980s and early 1990s, the people of George Compound were victims of diarrhoea, cholera and malaria because of their poor water supply and sanitation situation. According to a survey conducted in 1994 by the Primary Health Care Unit of the Ministry of Health, 74 per cent of diarrhoea cases, 74 per cent of cholera cases, 63 per cent of eye infections and 56 per cent of skin disease cases recorded by the local health centre were from the sector of the population that obtained its domestic water from unprotected wells. The health centre also recorded 70 cases of cholera per 10,000 people in D ESCRIPTION In 1994, the Lusaka City Council, with grant aid from the Government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), started implementing the Water Supply Project for Satellite Areas of Lusaka. George Compound was selected as one of the major areas where many safe drinking water and sanitation problems needed to be addressed. Project planning and design Participatory rapid approach surveys were conducted in the project area and interviews were held with the local authorities, local community leaders, local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), the Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company and such Government ministries as the Ministry of Local Government and Housing. The surveys enabled a pre-feasibility study team to begin to understand the daily habits of the community, its water-related problems and level of poverty. Answers were to be sought for the following questions: What was the source of the people s livelihoods? How were they coping with the harsh economic situation that had seen high unemployment levels and rapidly rising prices for goods and services? Which NGOs and CBOs were active in the area and how could the project forge links with them to improve the living conditions of the people? What was the role of the local authority and the water utility

4 148 V OLUME 11: SAFE D RINKING WATER agency in the provision of water and sanitation services? What problems were these agencies facing when trying to provide services? Answers to these questions enabled gaps and weaknesses in the institutional arrangements to be identified and solutions proposed for incorporation into the project design. To carry out these surveys, the JICA team relied on the help of local NGOs and consultants and their feedback was instrumental in helping to design the project. The surveys and discussions revealed that, among the problems of the old Lusaka municipal water supply system were the following: water shortages occurred owing to low pressure; the pipe network covered only about half the population; illegal connections and subsequent suspension of water supply by disconnection were frequent; and many poor families were unable to pay the fixed rate for the water service and would have preferred to pay a small amount each time that they withdrew water for drinking. Taking into account these issues, it was decided that: the George Compound Water Supply Project should be a standalone water supply system only for the settlement s 13,000 people; the initial cost and maintenance fees should be minimal and affordable; and user fees should cover only the operational and maintenance expenses of the scheme. Among the components of the final project was a programme designed to build capacity at both local government and community levels. For example, the project engineer and support staff received training in how to continue to manage the installed water system once the project was completed. Personnel of the peri-urban unit of Lusaka City Council were also trained in budgeting and resource mobilization skills for effective project planning and implementation. Their training also included knowledge of and skills in how to collaborate with NGOs and local people who, in turn, needed to develop an understanding of community-managed water supply and sanitation projects. As part of this collaborative effort, strategies for raising community awareness and increasing participation were developed and incorporated into the project design. This included defining the functions of the various contributors, including the Lusaka City Council, the Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company and CARE International, a humanitarian organization dedicated to fighting global poverty. Construction of the water supply scheme Analysis of the feedback obtained from the initial surveys enabled an assessment

5 Upgrading a settlement s water system: Zambia 149 of the infrastructure that would be required and where it should be located within George Compound. In total, eight boreholes were drilled. The Department of Water Affairs was contracted to construct the boreholes. To ensure that the boreholes drilled in George Compound did not yield contaminated water, the following precautions were taken: they were located away from built-up areas; they were very deep (some 150 to 200 metres) and the top 3 to 6 metres were grouted to seal them off from groundwater contamination; they were fenced off in concrete and barbed wire enclosures; and a dose of chlorine was given to the extracted water before it was distributed (a residual chlorine concentration of 0.2 to 0.3 milligrammes per litre is acceptable under World Health Organization guidelines) Other infrastructure built included overhead concrete reservoirs, a network of pipes and an office block from which the scheme could be managed. Pipelines covered the whole of George Compound to supply safe drinking water stored in the overhead reservoirs to a network of communal standpipes (fig. 2). In total, 40 standpipes were installed, each of which serves 50 to 60 households. By 2000, construction had been completed and every resident of George Compound had been provided with adequate access to safe water. Community empowerment During the initial phase of the project when an assessment of the community s needs was being made, education campaigns designed to make the public more aware of the necessity for clean water were also run. As part of these efforts, local people were asked to select the members and leaders of committees to manage the care and operation of each standpipe. Prior to the project, the council had established a locally elected Resident Development Committee (RDC) in each section of George Compound. Both the local authorities and the central government work through these RDCs to bring develop- Figure 2. Inauguration of a new stand post in George Compound. Through a network of similar standpipes, all 130,000 of the area s residents now have access to safe drinking water.

6 150 V OLUME 11: SAFE D RINKING WATER ment to the people. It was relatively easy, therefore, for the George Compound Water Project to find an entry point into the community through these RDCs. To help to mobilize the community and persuade it to join the project, the LWSC worked with CARE International, an NGO that has experience in building community capacity to ensure project sustainability. CARE International found the RDCs especially useful when organizing the water and sanitation committees and conducting elections for office holders for each standpipe. Among the other inputs of CARE International, in collaboration with the RDCs and standpipe management committees, was a food-for-work scheme that rewarded those providing labour to construct the service pipelines, standpipes and fee-paying toilets (fig. 3) and garbage transit bays at other strategic points in George Compound. These groups also supervised regular maintenance operations such as the unblocking of road drainage systems. As an incentive for becoming a member of a standpipe management committee, women members received training in tailoring and design while men were taught basic plumbing skills. Both types of skills can be used in income-generating ventures. Sustainability In 2000, water rates were pegged at K350,000 (US$0.70) per household per month. This gave each household the right to 120 litres of water a day and access to water for a weekly laundry. Standpipe minders, selected by the management committees, are responsible for maintaining an inventory of withdrawals from each standpipe. In this way, local residents who do not pay their bills are prevented from using the water. This system has helped to increase the efficiency of revenue collection to about 85 per cent per month. Primary health care Figure 3. A fee-paying toilet, one of several built near market areas in George Compound to provide the community with an alternative to pit latrines. The project was also designed to integrate water supply and improved sanitation practices with basic hygiene education. Educational materials highlighted the connection between poor water supply and sanitation and the incidence of cholera and other water borne-diseases. Armed with this information, local people chose to avoid drinking water from their traditional wells and started living in a cleaner, more hygienic environment.

7 Upgrading a settlement s water system: Zambia 151 P ARTNERSHIPS The main participants in the project included: JICA: financial resources, technical assistance and contractors to construct the piped water scheme; Lusaka City Council: administrative and political support; LWSC: established the George Compound Water Division, which now operates on an autonomous basis funded by the user payments; CARE International: promoted public awareness and helped to build local capacity; and the George Compound water management committees: facilitated the provision of community labour for both building and maintenance tasks. This arrangement, whereby all the key players had clearly defined roles, ensured the smooth implementation and timely completion of the project. R EPLICABILITY This project could be replicated in other regions within Zambia and elsewhere in southern Africa as long as proper initial assessments are made to determine the needs of the community, their problems and how to solve them. Indeed, since the late 1990s, other donors and NGOs have been assisting communities in Zambia, including Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (German Agency for Technical Cooperation, or GTZ) and KfW Förderbank (KfW Promotional Bank), both from Germany, Development Cooperation Ireland, Water Aid and World Vision. Implementation is facilitated and accelerated in areas where people are willing to become actively involved in community-managed projects, a process that can be helped with a suitable educational campaign. However, in areas where community participation is not popular, greater efforts would be required to sensitize the people and to create an awareness of the need for the project. P OLICY I MPLICATIONS The National Water Policy, announced by the Government of Zambia in 1994, advocates community-driven demand for water supply and sanitation projects. These projects should be managed by local communities and encourage costsharing to ensure sustainability. User fees should cover operational and maintenance costs in the short and medium terms and aim towards full cost recovery in the long term. The Policy also encourages private-sector participation in the provision of water and sanitation services. Thus, the George Compound project saw government agencies, local communities and NGOs working together for a common cause.

8 152 V OLUME 11: SAFE D RINKING WATER L ESSONS L EARNED In the past, many community-based piped water supply schemes failed because there was no active community involvement, partly because there were no government policies designed to incorporate health and hygiene education campaigns into the water supply programmes. In the case of George Compound, the inclusion of primary health care education and the participation of the community at the standpipe level have helped to enhance the sustainability of the project. Previous problems encountered by the municipal water supply scheme, including vandalism and illegal pipe connections, were addressed by ensuring a continuous supply of water to all sectors of George Compound and setting tariffs at affordable levels (less than US$1 a month). In addition, community involvement from the planning through to the implementation stage of the project created a sense of ownership and appreciation of the services provided. It is also hoped that dialogue with the benefiting communities through the established water management committees will help to ensure that any necessary increase in tariffs will be widely accepted. It was also important that the George Compound Water Supply Project became financially independent from LWSC. To achieve this, two community development officers were seconded from the Lusaka City Council to assist in the management of the project. Other support staff providing accounting and maintenance assistance were employed from the project area to promote a sense of belonging. In addition, regular site meetings with the RDCs and water management committees were held in order to ensure community support both during and after the implementation of the project. Thus, dialogue between the Lusaka City Council, LWSC and the community has been maintained. Finally, prior to the project, few people were aware of the relationship between drinking water and sanitation and the annual occurrence of waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea and cholera. Hence, the municipal water supply system was often vandalized and people reverted to drinking water from shallow, unprotected wells. Owing to the health education component of the project, residents are now more responsible and take care of the new water supply facilities provided. I MPACT Since the implementation of the George Compound Water Supply Project in 1994, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people with access to safe drinking water (table 1). More than 90 per cent of the community is now using the standpipes installed during the project and just six per cent of the people continue to use shallow wells as their

9 Upgrading a settlement s water system: Zambia 153 source of water. In addition, the number of illegal connections to the water supply and the number of people using old hand pumps connected to boreholes have both been reduced to zero. The residents of George Compound have seen an improvement in their health status. Incidences of such water-borne diseases as diarrhoea and cholera have been drastically reduced, as have other diseases such as eye infections and measles. Indeed, although measles is not transmitted via contaminated water, the decline in its incidence could indicate an increase in the overall health status of the community through the provision of a supply of safe drinking water. Women s issues Throughout the project, the equitable representation of men and women in its Table 1. Domestic water supply source at the start of the project and after its implementation. Percentage of the Population Water Source Standpipes Shallow wells 21 6 Illegal connections 16 0 Hand pump on borehole 6 0 Source: JICA, Table 2. Reduction of occurrence of diseases. Cases per 10,000 people Disease Cholera Diarrhoea Eye infection Measles Source: Adapted from JICA, 2003.

10 154 V OLUME 11: SAFE D RINKING WATER day-to-day running has been promoted. In fact, owing to the project s capacitybuilding programmes, more and more women have taken up the challenge to become leaders of the water committees and community health workers. In some committees, more than half the members are women. It seems that women, who, along with children, traditionally draw the water for the family, have enthusiastically accepted the benefits of the new, clean water supply and do not want the situation to revert to the old practices. Owing to the health benefits of the safe drinking water, both women and children have more time for leisure and study. Less time is now spent looking after sick members of the family and, for children in particular, fewer days are spent at home and school attendance has increased. The provision of a standpipe serving every 50 to 60 households also means that it is no longer necessary to walk a long way to stand in a queue to collect water. Donor support Ten years after the beginning of the project, the George Compound water supply scheme is still running and community participation has even increased. Thus, the success of the George Compound project has generated interest within JICA to improve the water supply in other peri-urban areas of Lusaka and other towns. F UTURE P LANS It has been agreed that community education in the areas of public health and hygiene will be an ongoing programme. LWSC and the Lusaka City Council will also continue to work with CARE International to extend the water supply services to newly built-up areas of George Compound and the same methodology for implementing similar projects will be adopted to supply water to other satellite areas of Lusaka such as Bauleni, Chazanga and Kalikiliki Compounds. P UBLICATIONS Japan International Cooperation Agency. (2003). Thematic evaluation of JICA s cooperation in water and sanitation in Africa. Ministry of Energy and Water Development, Government of Zambia. (1994). National Water Policy. Case study prepared by: Peter Chola Address: Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company, Box 50288, Lusaka, Zambia Tel.: (+260) Fax: (+260) hydro@zamnet.zm, opppi@zamnet.zm

11 Upgrading a settlement s water system: Zambia 155 Project participants: B OREHOLE DRILLING: Peter Chola: Assistant director of water affairs. S. Kango mba: Principal hydrogeologist, Department of Water Affairs. P ROJECT MANAGEMENT / CONSTRUCTION: N. Kaiyama: Project manager, Nissaku Construction Company Limited. WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION: Henry Mtine: Director of engineering, Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company. JICA TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE: Naoto Mori: Social economist, Community Empowerment Programme. Miki Seno: Project health education expert. Tomoke Honde: Community participation expert.