Resource information
The country water resources assistance
strategy for Zambia provides an analysis of the role of
water in the economy and identifies the specific challenges,
development opportunities and policies which inform an
agreed framework for priority areas of assistance. Zambia
lies entirely within the catchments of the Zambezi and Congo
rivers and all internal runoff is shared by downstream and
parallel riparian countries. This strategic geographic
position in the upper reaches of both these catchments
provides an important context for any water resources
development. Zambia has played an important role in
development of the Southern African Development Community
(SADC) revised protocol on shared water courses (2000) and
is engaged in the process of developing co-operative
mechanisms with riparian states. However, the existing legal
framework explicitly excludes any provisions for addressing
issues on shared waters in the Zambezi and Luapula rivers,
along with that portion of the Luangwa River which
constitutes the boundary between Zambia and Mozambique.
These account for more than 60 percent of Zambia's
water resources. Economic development is undermined by
physical scarcity of water. Despite the relative abundance,
the uneven distribution of water resources across the
country, high climatic variability (resulting in frequent
floods and droughts) and degradation of water quality
increasingly results in localized issues of scarcity.
Despite continuing efforts to reduce pollution flow into the
Kafue River, severe water quality issues persist in the
Copper belt, posing serious health risks to the population
and limiting the availability of water for productive
purposes. The high dependency on hydropower, with 96 percent
of the installed capacity produced within a 300km radius in
the Kafue/Zambezi complex, will further increase
vulnerability of the national economy to impacts associated
with changing climatic conditions.
