A pressing issue has surfaced in Zambia, necessitating stringent regulation from both Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA) and Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS): groundwater mining. In 2021, global bottled water sales reached 350 billion liters and were valued at an estimated $270 billion, a figure expected to soar to $500 billion by 2030. These profits have caused a boom in the industry posing a significant environmental and social challenges.
Commercial water extractors assert their operations represent a small portion of groundwater use. They emphasize employing hydrogeological studies to ensure aquifer sustainability, highlighting ongoing efforts toward resource conservation and innovation in water usage, packaging, and recycling. Nonetheless, the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health contends that the industry's global success exacts a massive toll on the environment, climate, and society.
Bottled water companies, though immensely successful, entail a devil's bargain:
Groundwater Depletion
Bottled water companies often extract water from underground sources like aquifers. Over-extraction can deplete these sources, leading to long-term water scarcity for local communities, farmers, and ecosystems relying on the same water sources. Many are unaware, but rivers, lakes, streams, wetlands, and groundwater are interconnected. The water present in rivers often originates from groundwater, which frequently migrates horizontally into the riverbed. This phenomenon sustains river flow even beyond the rainy season. Even if water mining may be small in absolute terms globally or compared to larger water consumers like irrigated agriculture, local impacts on water resources may be significant. Extracting water from aquifers can disrupt the natural flow and balance of groundwater, affecting local ecosystems and habitats that depend on these water sources. Changes in groundwater levels can also impact vegetation and wildlife.
Environmental Footprint
The production, transportation, and disposal of plastic bottles contribute to environmental degradation, exacerbating plastic pollution in water bodies, harming marine life, and escalating carbon emissions. Most if not all bottled water is packaged in plastics. And the widespread use of single-use plastic — the stuff we use once and then throw away — is only made worse by its disposal. Plastics do not break down once they’re thrown into nature. And, alarmingly, we only have very little plastics that go through the 3Rs - recycle, reuse or reduce (only the big water bottles used on water dispensers). Only 7% of plastics are recycled in Zambia such that much of our drainage systems are blocked by them and as the rainy season begins, this is a cause for the majority of flooding. What you might not realize is this isn’t just a pollution problem. It’s a climate problem. And by the time we start talking about recycling, the damage is already done. It takes 3x the amount of water to produce a plastic bottle than it does to fill that same bottle. So for a 1 liter bottle of your favourite water, 4 liters. When I read this fact I just think the world has gone crazy. This makes no sense.
Social Implications
Bottled water extraction can spark conflicts with local communities over access to this vital resource, exacerbating social inequalities, particularly in regions like Zambia, where safe tap water remains scarce. The rise in bottled water usage amplifies inequalities in clean water access, further burdening vulnerable groups, including the impoverished.
To begin, it's important to establish what "basic access" entails. Basic access refers to having a water source within a 30-minute roundtrip, capable of reliably providing a minimum of 20 liters per day per family member. Basic access is the bare minimum that all Zambians should have access to. Urban areas, however, are expected to have access to safely managed drinking water. This denotes water sources which, by nature of their design and construction, have the potential to deliver safe water accessible on premises, available when needed, and free from contamination.
In Zambia, where basic drinking water is not always available even from piped water systems, the boom in bottled water business is mainly an indictment on both the government and the commercial utilities (CU), an indicator of their failure to provide water – a human right – to the populations. Bottled water is replacing tap water in affluent homes and buttressing the inequalities' in term of access to clean and safe water. But what about poor homes? 60% of Zambians are poor and thus can't afford to spend K40 - K65 on 18 liters of water. Those that can, buying bottled water increases their financial risk and presents barriers of clean and safe water access especially for the urban poor who are the most vulnerable groups and at the bottom of the socioeconomic pyramid.
In 2022 at a meeting for Groundwater Protection and Management, the headpersons and a Councillor from Chalimbana in Chongwe emphatically attached the human costs developments which includes groundwater mining in Lusaka have posed to livelihoods, food security, climate-driven agriculture and sustainable poverty reduction in Chongwe which depends on the both the Chongwe River and Chalimbana stream. The two water bodies that have drastically lost water in the past few decades.
Health Implications
Rampant sales of low-priced packaged water brands like 'Drip' at K1 for a 500ml quantity raise concerns about water quality and health risks. The absence of ZABS approval on many brands indicates potential risks from contaminants or harmful substances in these products. Now, who in their right mind can sell purified water at k1? Overexploitation of packaged water is already resulting in water quality deterioration, exposing consumers to health risks like contamination with pollutants, chemicals, or naturally occurring substances harmful to human health.
In conclusion, despite Zambia's comparative advantage in water resources, the reality remains paradoxical, with a substantial portion of the population, particularly in rural areas (46%), lacking access to safe water. Even in urban with 87% access to basic water supply, water accessibility often comes with compromised safety and cleanliness, hindering consumption. Addressing these challenges in the age of climate change necessitates a holistic approach that encompasses regulatory measures, community involvement, and equitable resource allocation for sustainable water access and management. Solutions involve regulatory adherence, sustainable water practices, eco-friendly packaging, community engagement, infrastructure improvement, and collaborative efforts among stakeholders to manage water sustainably and reduce reliance on bottled water.
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