National Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Programme (NRWSSP) 2019 – 2030.

This National Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Programme (NRWSSP) 2019–2030 marks the second phase of the NRWSSP I (2006–2015) and serves as a strategic roadmap for Zambia’s rural water supply and sanitation subsector. This programme reaffirms the Government’s commitment to progressively ensuring universal access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services, prioritizing the most vulnerable populations in rural areas, small towns, and informal settlements. The overall objective of NRWSSP 2019–2030 is to achieve sustainable and equitable access to safe water supply and adequate sanitation, improving health and reducing poverty among Zambia’s rural population, in alignment with Vision 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The programme has four specific objectives (1) Increase and improve access to water supply facilities in rural areas from 72% to 100% by 2030 through investments in new facilities, rehabilitation, and effective operations and maintenancel; (2) Expand access to adequate and environmentally friendly sanitation facilities at both household and institutional levels; (3) Strengthen systems for enhanced service delivery in the water and sanitation subsector; (4) Enhance planning, implementation, and management of RWSS services through effective monitoring, evaluation, and reporting. The NRWSSP II is structured around five main components, each with specific sub-components (1) Water Supply to ensure sustainable access to safe and clean water through investments in new facilities, rehabilitation, and maintenance, supporting health and poverty reduction in line with Vision 2030 and the SDGs; (2) Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion aiming to achieve 90% sanitation coverage by 2030 at both household and institutional levels through hygiene promotion, sanitation marketing, infrastructure development, and legal enforcement; (3) Sustainable Operations and Maintenance (O&M) focusing on increasing and improving the number of functioning rural water supply facilities, expanding and improving institutional WASH facilities, and enhancing access to environmentally friendly sanitation solutions; (4) Sector Development, strengthening governance, institutions, and systems for improved service delivery in the WASH subsector; (5) Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting (PMER) to improve performance in the planning, implementation, and management of rural water supply and sanitation services through robust monitoring, evaluation, and reporting mechanisms. This programme lays the foundation for achieving universal rural WASH access, contributing to improved public health, poverty reduction, and sustainable development in Zambia.
The NRWSSP II employs key strategies to achieve its objectives of ensuring sustainable and equitable access to safe water and adequate sanitation for Zambia’s rural population by 2030,they are (i) strengthening water quality monitoring systems to ensure compliance with national standards, expanding access to basic and safely managed drinking water and sanitation services, reducing open defecation, and promoting improved hygiene practices; (ii) improving availability of Water and Sanitation infrastructure through climate-smart infrastructure development that expands and enhances resilience, alongside sustainable operation and maintenance strategies to improve infrastructure management, ensure functionality, and reduce non-revenue water losses; (iii) enhancing research in Water Supply and Sanitation Services by conducting applied research to support evidence-based decision-making and developing a robust Management Information System (MIS) for efficient data management and service improvement; (iv) promoting alternative financing for Water and Sanitation by establishing basket financing mechanisms for long-term sustainability and fostering public-private partnerships (PPPs) to increase private sector participation in water and sanitation service delivery.