Managing water sources vital in reducing contamination
Published On April 4, 2022 » 2110 Views» By Times Reporter » Features
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By MILDRED KATONGO –
THE rainy season is characterised by increase activities of farming, construction of houses and gardening which happen around water sources such as rivers and streams.
The season is also characterised by soil erosion, and because of the increased human activities, the erosion ends up in rivers and streams.
Apart from farming and gardening, there are mining activities that take place in certain areas.
These activities produce a lot of material which end up in the rivers during the rainy season.
Without proper management of the water sources, such human activities contaminate water supplied by utility firms.
Water utilities get water from either the surface or the ground, and the surface water is very susceptible to pollution and contamination.
The quality of water is compromised or said to have high turbidity which usually increases after a heavy downpour as particles from the soil are washed into the rivers and streams which serve as sources of water.
At this stage, water utility companies have treatment plants designed to only treat a certain level and high turbidity cannot be contained as the only option is to shut down the machines to wait until the water clears to a certain level.
National Water Supply and Sanitation Council (NWASCO) Chief Inspector Peter Mutale said during the rainy season, many water companies end up shutting down their treatment plants due to contamination and this leads to water shortage in communities.
Mr Mutale said when the water is contaminated, there are two options that a water utility has; to add a lot of chemicals to ensure the water is of quality, or to shut down the treatment plant and allow the water to clear to a certain level which the plant can treat.
Due to a lot of suspended solids in the water during the rainy season, addition of a lot of chemicals, in this case aluminum sulphate, is not a good idea as that compromises the PH of the water (pH is a measure of how acidic basic water is) because the aluminum sulphate component increases acidity in the water.
This process would then require that lime is added to stabilise the water quality.
Mr Mutale said this increases the cost of treating the water for the water company as the chemicals needed are expensive.
“You know the cost of treatment using that process just becomes way too much and in any case, if you allow that water to get into a treatment plant, you will find that your filters will be getting clogged after a minute and the job you go into is now not about treatment but cleaning those filters,” he said.
The other option, to shut down the treatment plant, allows for the raw water to improve because the capacity for the plant to treat is not adequate.
All the water treatment plants are designed to treat a certain level of water, but if the water becomes too dirty or turbid, the cost of treating it is huge and water utilities cannot manage to sustain their operations.
Shutting down the water treatment plant leads to shortage of water and communities suffer from time to time because the commodity is scarce during this period.
Mr Mutale also said expansion of treatment plants would be ideal to deal with turbidy, but it is expensive for water companies to undertake such an activity.
He said the solution, as it stands, is to properly manage or control activities around water bodies so that the treatment plants are treating water at standard level.
Access to water is a basic human right which is often threatened when the commodity is not properly managed and controlled.
Firstly, there is need for education and sensitisation programmes to community members living near and around water bodies.
People need to be aware that farming activities and mining operations near or around water sources contaminate the rivers and that compromises access to quality water.
There is need for a law to be put in place and penalties outlined for those found doing illegal activities around water bodies to ensure that there is a stop to the undesirable activities.
Water utilities are spending much money to ensure that they treat the water for people to have access to safe and quality water, but some activities are hindering this progress.
For the country to attain Sustainable Development Goal number six, which aims at ensuring access to water and sanitation for all, concerted efforts are needed from all Zambians and stakeholders so that from the water sources up to the tap, there is clean and quality water.
Mr Mutale said controlled activities around the water sources would help to reduce water contamination.
This is where the Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA) comes in.
The authority was established under the Water Resources Management Act to serve as a regulatory body for the management and development of water resources in the whole country.
The organisation also seeks to ensure equitable access to water for the various stakeholders.
WARMA is charged with the task of regulating activities around water bodies to deter illegalities.
The authority’s mandate includes exercising control over all water resources in Zambia, monitoring and regulating water use to ensure equitable allocation.
WARMA also defines water resources management regulations and disseminates them to the public.
Sensitisation and educating community members on proper management of water sources and indeed controlled activities remain key, as well as stiffening the punishment so that people found operating outside the law are dealt with.
This is inevitable as this action would help to deter offenders from breaking the law.
Proper management of water sources is vital to reducing pollution and contamination of water.

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