Challenges and opportunities of water supply and sanitation in unplanned settlements of Monze urban in Southern province, Zambia.
| dc.contributor.author | Siafwanzya, Conceptor | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-07-16T06:57:11Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-07-16T06:57:11Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2023 | |
| dc.description | Thesis of Master of Integrated Water Resources Management . | |
| dc.description.abstract | Human access to water and sanitation services is essential to sustainable development. However, people living in unplanned settlements still lack water and sanitation services. Monze town lies in the Southern Province of Zambia and it consists of both planned and unplanned settlements. Southern Water and Sanitation Company (SWSC) has been mandated to supply water and provide sanitation services to the residents of Monze town. There has been an increase in unplanned residential areas, and challenges have been noted in supplying and accessing water and sanitation services. Unplanned settlements face complex water and sanitation issues due to limited access, inadequate sewage systems, and limited resources. Enhancing these requires community-level solutions, low-cost sanitation technologies, and government support. On the other hand, policy, institutional, and legal frameworks significantly influence water supply and sanitation in unplanned settlements, but weak or absent policies hinder service provision and regulation. This study aimed at assessing the challenges and opportunities of water supply and sanitation in unplanned settlements of Monze urban in Southern Province of Zambia. The specific objectives were to; assess the water supply and sanitation service provision in unplanned settlements; evaluate the effectiveness of policy, institutions and legal frameworks on water supply and sanitation services provision in unplanned settlements and establish the opportunities of water supply and sanitation in unplanned settlements of Monze. Data was collected through household questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, observation checklist from 176 participants comprising of households, civic leaders, SWSC officials and health personnel. A descriptive survey design was used. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS version 21 while qualitative was analysed thematically. The results indicated that residents accessed water from taps installed by SWSC and shallow wells in poor conditions. About 92.9 percent of the households experienced water shortages while 84.7 percent of the households used pit latrines on a shared basis posing a health risk. Results also revealed that implementation of the water policy in unplanned settlements was slow. This situation would be addressed if the sector ministry and local authorities incorporate unplanned settlements into existing sector investment plans. Besides, most of the households complained of high water tariffs and delays in connecting water. On the other hand, reports from SWSC and observations revealed that vandalism and illegal water connections led to leaking and hence less supply of water to the users. The respondents indicated that government and other stakeholders should introduce water schemes to improve access to water. The responses from the households were that improved toilets like Urine-Diverting Dry toilets were the best. To achieve the Sustainable Development Goal number six, a multi-sectoral approach was key in solving the challenges of water supply and sanitation in enhancing opportunities in unplanned settlements. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://dspace.unza.zm/handle/123456789/9280 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | The University of Zambia | |
| dc.title | Challenges and opportunities of water supply and sanitation in unplanned settlements of Monze urban in Southern province, Zambia. | |
| dc.type | Thesis |