For the people of Chibolya, Zone 16, access to safe drinking water—especially during the rainy season was a nightmare. The water point flooded frequently, and without proper shelter, the water vendor could only operate when it wasn’t raining. Water was available for only 6 hours a day due to limited storage and power outages, forcing households to endure long queues and uncertainty. Even the water vendor could only earn a commission based on these limited hours of service.
Today, that story has changed.
Through a partnership between WASAReC, Viva Con Agua (VcA), Lusaka Water Supply and Sanitation Company, and Lusaka Water Security Initiative, the kiosk has been rehabilitated into a climate-resilient infrastructure designed to serve the community reliably.
The hardware improvements included construction of a flood-resilient kiosk structure, installation of an additional 10,000 litres of water storage, and a solar power backup system to ensure continuity of service even during power outages. These improvements have increased water availability from 6 hours to 13 hours per day.
The software component focused on strengthening sustainability through the development and rollout of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for water vendors across the community, helping ensure consistent, accountable, and dignified service.
For the water vendor, this transformation has strengthened her livelihood. Where she once earned commission based on 6 hours of water sales, she now earns from 13 hours—while providing reliable access to safe water for her community. For the user, they now can go to draw water at any time from 6:00hrs to 17:00hrs.
What was once a flooded, unreliable water point is now a resilient, dignified, community-serving system.
hashtag#WASAReC hashtag#vivaconagua hashtag#Lusakawater hashtag#WaterSecurity hashtag#ClimateResilience hashtag#WASH hashtag#CommunityLeadership hashtag#Chibolyawatertrust
Share This Story
