Implications of The Bottled Water Boom In Zambia

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.

WASH Commercial Utilities in Zambia: Struggles, Shortcomings, and Solutions

Zambia aims to achieve universal access to safe and affordable water and sanitation services by 2030. However, with less than six years remaining, doubts persist about meeting the more ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The key to achieving this universal service access lies in Commercial Utilities (CUs) modeled after market-led systems for water supply and sanitation. Over the years, there was widespread optimism that the private sector's involvement would address most of the performance issues in CUs securing scarce financing for growth and expansion. While private sector engagement has increased, it has fallen significantly short of expectations in transforming the sector.

Despite receiving a substantial share of funding, CUs lack clear policy directives and robust governance structures. CUs grapple with Non-Revenue Water rates exceeding 50%, well above the acceptable NWASCO threshold of 25%. This challenge compounds several others, including deficient financial management, poor creditworthiness, inadequate service provision - particularly in sanitation, and substandard asset management.

According to the World Bank Diagnostic Report spanning from 2001 to 2017, Zambian CUs suffered estimated losses of US$858 million due to high non-revenue water levels and low bill collection efficiency. These inefficiencies, notably poor billing and revenue collection result in hidden expenses or implicit subsidies. Consequently, CUs reduced investments in asset maintenance and essential repairs, leading to deteriorating service quality and increased unit costs per service provided. The chronically inefficient CUs in Zambia, as noted by the World Bank, pose a fiscal burden, complicating government financing in the sector.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) is politically sensitive, and most politicians have not been able to effectively balance the trade-offs between affordability and expansion of coverage to poorer communities with the CUs’ need for financial viability. Policy makers pursue multiple unaligned objectives, often leaning toward the attainment of short-term political interests. Failure to discipline CUs to perform may appease the short-term interest of the political constituency but will ultimately deprive the same of better and more efficient services.

Nonetheless, there is still hope. The government should pivot its focus from exclusively financing large-scale infrastructure projects to investing in improving the efficiency and governance of CUs. This shift aims to enhance CU cash flows, enabling them to contribute to expanding water and sanitation access. Introducing a deliberate strategy to incentivize efficiency and implementing result-based financing could significantly enhance financial performance. This strategy could enable CUs to contribute to capital investments through improved cash flows, increased creditworthiness, and the potential to attract private capital.

World Toilet Day 2023: Accelerating Change

As Zambia joins the world in observing World Toilet Day on 19^th November, the focus this year resonates deeply within our nation's landscape - Accelerating Change. Amidst the bustling strides towards progress and development, this day serves as a stark reminder of the critical necessity for improved sanitation practices and facilities across our communities.

In 2015, Zambia joined the rest of the world in committing to Sustainable Development Goal 6 that seeks to achieve access to adequate and equitable toilets and hygiene for all and to end open defecation by 2030. 3 years later, Zambia affirmed this commitment by launching the Open Defecation Free Strategy 2030, the Rural Sanitation Framework for Provision and Regulation and the Urban Onsite Sanitation and Faecal Sludge Management Framework for Provision and Regulation to actualize the country’s sanitation and hygiene development aspirations. The strategies forms part of the government’s National Development Plan and the Vision 2030.

While the Zambian government and its partners acknowledge the profound benefits of sanitation as a prime investment for reducing child morbidity and mortality, enhancing children's cognitive abilities, curbing undernutrition and stunting, and addressing several neglected tropical diseases, along with mitigating risks, anxiety, and psychosocial stress, as well as fostering economic gains, a significant proportion of the population remains deprived of adequate sanitation services. This substantial gap results in a notable segment of the populace lacking safely managed sanitation, thereby amplifying health risks and contributing to environmental degradation. Hence, sanitation stands not only as a fundamental necessity for human health and dignity but also as a critical element for the country's overall development.

With less than seven years to 2030, the scale of the challenge is still enormous, and the pace of change needs to be accelerated because millions of Zambians still don’t have access to toilets and a bigger number don’t have access to basic sanitation service. It is said that we need to work, on average, five times faster and harder to meet the sanitation target of SDG 6 by 2030.

Rapid urbanization and climate change have exacerbated Zambia's sanitation crisis, thus calls for accelerated change.

To accelerate change, individuals’ actions, small yet impactful steps like waste management, support for sanitation initiatives, and advocating for sustainable choices in daily life collectively contribute to the larger goal of improved sanitation access for all Zambians. The UN Water is using an ancient tale of the hummingbird who does what she can to fight a great fire by carrying droplets of water in her beak. The story conveys the idea that each of us can take actions – however small – to help solve a big problem.

To accelerate change, the sanitation crisis in Zambia requires tailored approaches that consider the needs of different groups, including women, girls, vulnerable, marginalized, and rural communities. Innovative, cheap, and quality sanitation solutions, such as community-led total sanitation and investment in sustainable sanitation technologies, can play a pivotal role.

Whilst it has Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) has been successful in increasing demand and access to sanitation in rural areas, there’s need to employ strategies to maintain sanitation gains and instill lasting hygiene habits. To accelerate change, research is crucial to pinpoint the most impactful messages capable of generating interest in sanitation and guaranteeing sustainability of new hygiene practices. Effective monitoring that breaks down data is essential to create evidence that guides planning and resource allocation, ensuring inclusivity and leaving no one behind when implementing interventions.

To accelerate change, the commercial utility companies must be supported by government through funding to enhance infrastructure development, bolster financial practices with transparent systems, improve governance structures, improve sanitation service delivery, implement efficient asset management, provide staff training, foster collaborations, and embrace innovative technology. This will empower the CUs to transform challenges into catalysts for enhancing service delivery and ensuring sustainable water and sanitation provisions for the served communities.

To accelerate change and ensure progress, collaboration between governments and the private sector is crucial to improve investment in infrastructure and technologies that improve access to clean sanitation facilities and promote efficient sanitation practices.

To accelerate change, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Zambia supports the Scaling Up Nutrition Technical Assistant (SUN TA) to increase access to basic sanitation and reducing exposure to environmental pathogens that cause increased risk of diarrheal diseases and intestinal infections. Collaborating closely with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), Ministry of Health (MoH), and Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation (MWDS), SUN TA has significantly enhanced sanitation and hygiene accessibility within households and communities in 13 districts: Mumbwa, Chibombo, Kabwe, Kapiri Mposhi, Ndola, Kitwe, Samfya, Mansa, Nchelenge, Kaputa, Luwingu, Kasama and Mbala. This concerted effort has led to the certification of five chiefdoms as Open Defecation Free (ODF): Kaputa and Mukupa Katandula in Kaputa, Tungati and Shimumbi in Luwingu, and Nkole Mfumu in Kasama. Additionally, at the time of writing, the certification process for Moono Chiefdom in Mumbwa was underway, marking a substantial progress towards achieving ODF status in the sixth chiefdom.