Zambia is a landlocked country in central south Africa with the population of 17 million people, whom are living predominantly in rural areas. The population is growing at a high rate because Zambia has one of the highest fertility rates in the world, women giving birth to five children in average. The life expectancy at birth is low, 62 years, and the population is very young. Main reasons for young population are high prevalence of HIV as well as lack of proper healthcare in the country. (Statista 2019.) Zambia gained independence in 1964 and has been politically stable and peaceful ever since. It is heavily dependent on the revenue of its traditional copper exports. Otherwise economic growth has been struggling because of energy crisis. Investments in new energy generation have been inadequate making the country vulnerable. The population and economic growth are even worsening the situation.
Climate change affects with droughts, falling ground water levels as well as floods in different parts of Zambia, however deforestation being the biggest environmental challenge.
The country faces serious problems with food security and malnutrition, undernourishment
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and stunting among children. Corruption is a serious issue, Zambia ranking 76th out of 168 countries in the corruption ranking 2015. When considering human rights, gender-based violence is at an alarmingly high level, affected by traditional cultural practices. Teenage pregnancies and child marriages are common and so are high school dropout rates and continued inequality, due to the same reason. (Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland 2017, pp. 7-8.) The currency used in Zambia is Zambian kwacha (ZMK) and 1 USD is equal to 12,5 ZMK (European Commission 2019).
Cholera is one issue giving many challenges to the population in Zambia. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018) there was a significant cholera outbreak that started in October 2017 and it resulted in approximately 5,900 cases and 114 deaths by May 2018. UNICEF Zambia (2019) explains that main causes of infections like cholera and diarrhea are poor water, sanitation and hygiene, WASH, which continues to be the leading cause of death of under 5-year-old children in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the World Bank, poor sanitation results in 1.3 percent loss to Zambia’s national Gross Domestic Product annually. Lack of access to adequate water supply, sanitation and washing facilities in Zambian schools, affects negatively on students and contributes to high dropout rates, especially for girls. (UNICEF Zambia 2019.)
In 2015 the sanitation coverage in the national level was showing that only 31% of the population uses safely managed or basic sanitation services. In urban areas, almost half of the population (49%) has access to safely managed or basic services, but situation is worse in rural areas. There 25% of the population are still practicing open defecation and 50% has access only to unimproved sanitation facilities, 7% uses limited services and only 19% has access to safely managed or basic sanitation services. When it comes to water, according to the statistics, 61% percent of Zambians have access to safely managed or basic water, and in urban areas the percentage is even 86%. But in the rural areas more than half of the population (56%) are using either limited, unimproved or surface water services. Still, even in the national level, 12% of the population rely on surface water. Below figures 8 and 9 show the statistics based on the information of the year 2015 by WHO and UNICEF.
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Figure 8. Sanitation coverage in Zambia 2015 (Adapted from: WHO and UNICEF, 2017, p. 92.)
Figure 9. Water coverage in Zambia 2015 (Adapted from: WHO and UNICEF, 2017, p. 74.)
National (%) Urban (%) Rural (%)
Open defecation 15 1 25
Unimproved 41 30 50
Limited (shared) 12 20 7
Safely managed/basic 31 49 19
0 20 40 60 80 100
National (%) Urban (%) Rural (%)
Surface water 12 1 19
Unimproved 21 9 29
Limited (> 30min) 6 4 7
Safely managed/basic 61 86 44
0 20 40 60 80 100
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When looking at the numbers and reading news about cholera outbreaks, the sanitation situation in Zambia seems alarming, although the issue of sanitation has become more well-known and seems that people in Zambia are trying to improve the situation. The National Sanitation Summit was held in 19th to 21st of November 2018 for the first time under the theme “Collective action towards sustainable sanitation and hygiene services for all”.
According to the National Water and Sanitation Collaborative Council (NWASCO) (2018a) the Minister of Water Development Sanitation and Environmental Protection, Dennis Wanhinga explained the reason for holding the summit is the fact that the sanitation sector has been lagging behind despite its importance to the nation. That is why they called all stakeholders to work together towards improving the sanitation statistics of the country. The government also increased the budget for the sanitation sector from 565 million ZMK in 2018 to 1,9 billion ZMK in 2019 as a sign of commitment to the sanitation agenda. Also, the Zambia 2030 National Open Defecation Strategy was launched as part of the summit.
(NWASCO 2018a.)
The strategy to end open defecation by 2030 is in line with the commitment to the SDG 6.2:
“By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situation”. This means that in Zambia 4,5 million people needs to stop practicing open defecation between 2018 and 2030. The strategy sets out the framework for ending open defecation, the approach including universal and equitable access to affordable and safe drinking water for all and access to equitable and adequate sanitation and hygiene for all. The change of social norms is done by behavioral change, communication, marketing sanitation, WASH in schools and health care facilities, and managing solid waste and fecal sludge. (MWDSEP 2018, p. 3.) UNICEF Zambia’s WASH program also aims to improved and equitable access to safe drinking water as well as adequate sanitation and hygiene practices of Zambian children and women, especially in rural and peri-urban areas. The program works currently in 68 rural districts across Zambia’s 10 provinces, under the leadership of the Ministry of Water Development. (UNICEF Zambia 2019.) Even if the sanitation coverage is alarming, it seems that country is going to better direction. The public decision makers have realized the situation and importance of the sanitation and are working together with other stakeholders towards better tomorrow.
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