Securing clean water is a constant challenge in many parts of Africa. In Zambia’s capital Lusaka, the supply of water has improved significantly in recent years, but a lot remains to be done in the area of wastewater infrastructure and sanitation. This is at the core of the EIB’s EUR 102.5 million concessional loan signed in November 2017 in support of sanitation infrastructure in the Zambian capital.
The Lusaka Sanitation Programme is part of the urgently needed reinforcement and expansion of the city’s wastewater infrastructure. The project will support the development of two new wastewater treatment plants and the associated sewer network of up to 520 km in length. The project will double the existing sewerage network, potentially benefitting up to 525,000 people, many of whom will receive access to reliable sanitation services for the first time.
The project is expected to contribute considerably to economic and social development, due to the spillovers of sanitation infrastructure on health, environment, human development and virtually all other sectors of the Zambian economy. The conservation of the environment and the reduction of health risks related to water-borne diseases such as cholera are likely to improve the quality of life for the population, especially in low-income and vulnerable areas.
For these reasons, the project is fully in line not only with our own Water Sector Lending Policy but also with the efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6, aiming at “Clean Water and Sanitation”, in particular in peri-urban low-income areas.