Title

Zambia: Water Supply and Sanitation - reform and regulation

Korea: Resource Circulation Sanitation Showcase to Provide Sustainable Sanitation in Remote Areas

Ghana: Integrating water security into the national development planning process
Country
Zambia
Republic of Korea (the)
Ghana
Summary

A previous lack of clearly defined roles and jurisdictional responsibilities within the water sector led Zambia’s government to take action and establish the National Water Supply and Sanitation Council, which is presently responsible for the main water policy principles. From this case, it can be concluded that any reform process is inherently political and requires the full commitment of its policy makers to correctly balance financial and political objectives.

In this showcase project, an innovative sanitation system is developed to be promoted as a nature-based solution for problems of adequate access to sustainable sanitation in remote areas. The source-separated urine and feces undergo an onsite treatment process to be recycled and utilized as fertilizer and soil conditioner. The efficiency and sustainability of this system have been proved through scientific studies and field experiments at farming centers located in suburban areas of Seoul. A trained management committee sustained the operation and maintenance of the system. The system performed to be economically beneficial by using locally available resources and recycling sanitary wastes.

GWP-WA/CWP-Ghana, through Water Climate and Development Programme in Africa (WACDEP), an initiative responding to the Sharm El Sheik Declaration by Heads and Governments of African States, facilitated capacity development on water security and climate resilience for government agencies and Metropolitan Municipal and District Assembly planners in the 2014-2017 National Medium Term Development Planning process. This effort contributed to mainstreaming of water security in the planning landscape in Ghana.
Related IWRM Tools
  • Preparation of a National Water Resources Policy (
    A1.01
    )
  • International Water Law (
    A2.02
    )
  • Regulatory Bodies and Enforcement Agencies (
    B1.01
    )
  • Public sector water utilities (
    B2.01
    )
  • Water Rights (
    A2.01
    )
  • Human Rights Based Approach (
    A2.05
    )
  • Public sector water utilities (
    B2.01
    )
  • Recycle and Reuse (
    C3.03
    )
  • Nature Based Solutions (
    C3.04
    )
  • Policies with Relation to Water Resources (
    A1.02
    )
  • Water Allocation Regimes (
    A2.03
    )
  • Local Authorities (
    B1.02
    )
Keywords
Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs Sustainability Water and Sanitation Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Community-based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM)
Lessons Learned

The reform process is inherently political and requires the full commitment of its policy makers to correctly balance financial and political objectives. Fundamental reforms are not a quick fix and cannot be substituted by private sector participation.

Success is often unattainable without reforming the external environment, with emphasis on the role of the owner.

Other external stakeholders may be important to balance potentially conflicting objectives of politicians.

Certain decisions must be left to utility managers.

Customers can be an important voice for improving performance.

The presented nitrifying microorganism-assisted resource circulation sanitation system is replicable throughout the world because it is technologically designed to be profitably operated by producing fertilizer from source-separated urine, which can be especially useful for remote areas with food shortages and/or agriculture-based communities.

The system is affordable and sustainable due to the use of local resources, making it possible for local users to construct and operate it. It saves a remarkable amount of water and energy, which is especially applicable in remote areas facing water shortages and beneficial to local governments by reducing the demand for the provision and use of freshwater.

The system is designed to be sustainable and easy to maintain while overcoming problems such as odor. It meets the definition and criteria of the WHO for a “safe sanitation system”, does not need complicated infrastructure, and provides nature-based solutions for water and sanitation challenges; making it suitable for implementation in remote and rural areas.

The system provides a notable contribution to overcoming the challenges of achieving SDGs 1, 2, and 6. Therefore, it would be welcomed and accepted by individuals, local governments, donor agencies, and United Nations-related organizations. Similar projects could be implemented in areas short of freshwater or in areas where regional cultural preferences might otherwise provide a barrier to use.

Continuous capacity building and campaigns to provide technical backstopping to highlight the threats to water systems and inform decision making remains important to achieve water security.

The water security cross-cutting theme in the guidelines has undergone two cycles of implementation and the 3rd medium term development planning cycle (2022-2025) begins soon. This presents opportunity to engage the different stakeholders towards strengthening the capacity for mainstreaming water security.
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