For many years, access to clean water in Chabota, Zambia was a major challenge. The community relied largely on shallow wells and inconsistent water sources, which were vulnerable to contamination and seasonal shortages. As the population grew, pressure on these limited sources increased, contributing to hygiene issues and cases of waterborne illness, including diarrhoea. The local health clinic faced particular difficulties. Water supply was unreliable, forcing staff to collect water manually during labour and delivery. This compromised hygiene, increased risk for mothers and newborns, and discouraged some women from giving birth at the clinic altogether.
Prior to the intervention, the facility faced significant water access challenges. The only water sources available were a hand pump and a SWASCO piped supply, which was limited to the labour ward. The SWASCO supply was unreliable, as it did not run continuously throughout the day and night. This created a particular problem during night shifts, when only one member of staff was on duty. If a mother was in labour and the piped water was not running, staff were forced to leave the ward and fetch water from the hand pump in buckets. This was not only disruptive but meant leaving a labouring mother unattended. After a delivery, staff had to go outside to find water for the mother to bathe, and often had to rely on relatives, if present to help fetch water.
To address the water access challenges in Chabota, two water kiosks were established, fed by a deep borehole of over 60 metres. Given the depth of the borehole, an electric pump is required to bring water to the surface; this is powered by solar panels, which kept running costs low despite higher initial setup costs. Water is pumped into a 10,000-litre tank and piped to the two kiosks.
The kiosks are managed by water point attendants, a main vendor and a standby, both chosen by the community from within it. They charge a small fee of 50 ngwee (just under 1p per 20 litres) per bucket. The kiosks operate from 6am to 5.30pm with a one-hour lunch break. When the tank runs low, vendors notify a SWASCO employee, who restarts the pump to refill it; vendors pay SWASCO weekly. Responsibility for any system failures lies with the water company.
