Zambia’s progress toward universal WASH access is increasingly threatened by drought, energy shortages, cholera outbreaks, and chronic underfunding, pressures that disproportionately affect low-income urban communities. In this context, WSUP Zambia has delivered results that not only improve services today but also strengthen the long-term systems needed for resilient, equitable WASH delivery.
In partnership with the Lusaka Water Supply and Sanitation Company (LWSC), we are expanding water access in Chazanga with funding from The Coca-Cola Foundation, aiming to reach more than 43,500 residents. To address climate risks and unreliable power supply, WSUP is supporting the installation of a solar-powered water system, demonstrating a viable, climate-resilient model for utilities facing load-shedding.
In Livingstone, our partnership with the Pictet Group Foundation has helped Southern Water and Sanitation Company (SWSC) replace unsafe community-built networks with professionally designed infrastructure, restoring reliable water access and enabling real-time flow and pressure monitoring. Utility staff also benefited from capacity building in hydraulic design, non-revenue water reduction, leak detection, and remote monitoring, strengthening operational resilience.
Solar panels power a water pump that feeds an elevated tower, providing climate-resilient, gravity-fed water supply to local households
Our policy and regulatory engagement has shaped national frameworks, including the Code of Practice for On-Site Sanitation and FSM, updated rural WASH guidelines, and emerging financing mechanisms for household sanitation. These reforms establish the enabling environment required for utilities, municipalities, and the private sector to deliver safely managed sanitation at scale.
Looking ahead, WSUP Zambia will focus on scale, resilience, and sustainability, expanding partnerships with LWSC, SWSC, and additional commercial utilities. We will advance private-sector participation across the FSM and water-service chain, stimulate demand through sanitation marketing, and expand school WASH with the Ministry of Education, delivering gender-sensitive facilities and long-term maintenance systems to ensure durable impact.
We welcome partnerships with institutional funders seeking to invest in scalable, climate-resilient urban WASH systems in Zambia.
Read more about our work in Zambia here.