Zambia - Improving the capacities of groundwater management and protection in Zambia

Country / Region: Zambia / Africa
Focal Point: Groundwater

Begin of project: January 1, 2020

End of project: June 30, 2024

Status of project: July 29, 2022

Suggested future wellfields in Zambia Source: BGR

Due to population growth, agricultural and industrial development as well as tourism, Zambia faces an increasing demand for water. The increasing demand is still a challenge for sustainable water management, which is a political aim of the Government of Zambia. In order to achieve sustainable water management, BGR supports the Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection (MWDSEP) as a implementation agency of German Development Cooperation (GCD).

As part of German support to the water sector reform in Zambia, BGR is implementing the Groundwater Resources Management Support Programme (GReSP). The programme aims to strengthen the technical capacities of the Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA) in the capital Lusaka and its related Catchment and Sub-catchment Councils in sustainable groundwater management.

BGR is focusing its support on developing and implementing groundwater management plans to protect the groundwater resources and to secure potential drinking water supplies. This includes advocacy work for groundwater management within planning institutions, awareness-raising on the governmental and non-governmental level and training for WARMA and related institutions.

The sustainable use of groundwater is based on profound and reliable knowledge of the quality and quantity of the resources. In cooperation with BGR, WARMA undertakes field campaigns and data collection from water users and drilling companies in order to assess and monitor Zambia’s groundwater resources.

In the current project, BGR supports the delineation of a groundwater protection zone for a future wellfield in Lusaka. The water demand of Lusaka is ever increasing and today about 70 % of the water consumed stems from groundwater. In the future, water supplied from groundwater is likely to increase. At the same time, existing production boreholes are being encroached due to the lack of protection. By delineating a groundwater protection zone for a yet-to-be-established wellfield in the surroundings of Lusaka, groundwater resources in the specified area can be protected before encroachment takes place. This secures better raw water quality and reduces treatment costs.

Moreover, BGR supports in the development of vocational training courses in “Borehole Supervision”. This improves the quality of boreholes and the content of borehole completion reports, which provide a data basis for the sustainable usage of groundwater resources.
Another project activity is the support of a digital information platform for Lusaka. Groundwater related information are gathered and presented as digital maps to provide decision-makers with the necessary information to take informed decisions for sustainable urban planning.

Project contributions: