Siavonga Border Town Water Supply and Sanitation

Overview
The project will provide water supply and sanitation (WSS) to 23,000 residents of Siavonga and an estimated 120,000 cross-border travellers per year. It will improve health outcomes, build resilience to climate change and provide economic opportunities.
Investment request
£3.9 million of grant funding to rehabilitate and expand the water supply and sanitation system.
Project summary
Siavonga in Zambia is strategically located on the North–South Transport Corridor, one of the major transport corridors linking Southern African countries to Beira Port in Mozambique and Durban Port in South Africa. The corridor development is a flagship Southern African Development Community (SADC) project and is prioritised in SADC’s Regional Master Plan (2012–2027). It is critical to enhancing regional and international trade competitiveness, particularly for landlocked countries such as Zambia.
Siavonga and neighbouring Kariba in Zimbabwe both draw their water from Lake Kariba. Water levels in the lake are declining and droughts are becoming more frequent under climate change. The existing infrastructure is inadequate under these lower and more variable lake water levels, resulting in regular failure to access the water. Growing demand could make this situation worse. Siavonga has significant potential for growth due to investment into the transport corridor, experiences almost constant congestion at the nearest border post, Chirundu, and is located on Lake Kariba, nationally important for regional power generation and tourism.
The Siavonga Water Supply and Sanitation Project involves the expansion and upgrading of the existing WSS system, in parallel to the upgrade of the WSS in Kariba. It leverages CRIDF investment in a new climate-resilient water intake works and the rehabilitation of the water treatment plant, as illustrated in Figure 1. The CRIDF investment provides the backbone for a sustainable scheme by ensuring a reliable raw water supply, thereby unlocking the potential to expand the distribution to currently unconnected areas of Siavonga. Funding is now sought to maximise the full potential of the system. It will deliver climate resilience, economic gains and significant health impacts. If a grant for the capital expenditure is secured, revenues will be sufficient to sustain operational costs.
Main sponsor(s)
Southern Water and Sewerage Company (SWSC)