The World Bank will provide USD 50 million to finance the Zambia Water Resources Development Project (ZWRDP), in an effort to improve the country’s water resources infrastructure in rural communities and strengthen the capacity of the Zambian government to manage these resources.
With investments prioritized and identified following an update to the 1995 Zambia Dam Development Master Plan, the improvement project is expected to span a period of five years and will eventually support the provisions of the country’s Water Resources Management Act.
According to a recent report in the Zambia Daily Mail, the ZWRDP procurement specialist Anthony Mwila, the project will reinforce the implementation of an integrated framework to better develop and manage the available Zambia water resources.
“We will be involved in the development and rehabilitation of small-scale water resources infrastructure such as small dams intended to retain water, reduce erosion and ensure productive application in rural communities,” he said, “The objective of this is to enhance capacity at the national and regional level to address the challenges of water resource management in Zambia and the activities will be supported through the provision of consultant services and technical assistance.”
Nearly 80% of the country’s available water resources are generated internally, with the average per capita internal renewable water resource far exceeding the sub-Saharan average of 5,705 cubic meters at 7,377 cubic meters, only 1.5 percent of which is currently being used.
