The water supply sector in Zambia today reflects government decisions in the early 1990s to respond to a history of water supply characterized by years of inadequate investment and neglect. In November 1994, Government decided to restructure the Water Supply and Sanitation Sector to address these challenges.

This was preceded by the enactment of the Water Supply and Sanitation Act (Act No 28 of 1997), which consequently created opportunities for Local Authorities to come together to form CUs and undertake water and sanitation service provision in the areas under their jurisdiction.
SWSC was incorporated as a private company limited by shares in September 1999. It commenced operations with the takeover of the systems in Livingstone in April 2000.

The Local Authorities holding shares in the Company are: Kazungula, Livingstone, Zimba, Kalomo, Choma, Namwala, Sinazongwe, Pemba, Gwembe, Monze, Mazabuka, Chikankata, Chirundu, Siavonga and Itezhi – Itezhi.

The CU is regulated by the National Water and Sanitation Council (NWASCO) which has the mandate to regulate the water and sanitation sector in Zambia.

At inception, the Company inherited infrastructure that was in poor and dilapidated condition. Part of this old infrastructure has since been rehabilitated through government, donor and internal interventions. However, in most areas, the infrastructure remains inadequate and in poor condition. As a result, the levels of service remain unsatisfactory in some areas. This has led to limited production capacity to meet the increasing demand induced by population growth and increased urbanization.

Further, inadequate resources for maintenance and infrastructure development resulted in high water losses in most of the water distribution networks. The sewerage system was also in poor condition with most of the networks requiring replacement. Peri-urban areas were particularly affected, with little or no water and inadequate sanitation. Currently, due to the interventions by Government, Donors and the Company, service provision has tremendously improved though the water loss ratio still fluctuates between 35% and 50%.

The sewerage system has also been improved and is in better condition with some of the networks replaced. However, most households still rely on onsite sanitation. Peri-Urban areas that were particularly affected now have acceptable service levels of water though little has been achieved in the provision of sanitation.

SWSC’s mandate to provide adequate water and sanitation services to all residents is being increasingly embraced by all stakeholders. The next phase of development as an organization will be to move forward together with a mindset focused on making this a commercially viable reality.