After almost two years we were finally able to make the return visit, and arrived at Kenneth Kaunda Airport in Lusaka on 7 November 2021.

The next morning, we set off to the centre of Lusaka for the official kick-off. Afterwards, our colleagues from Lukanga Water Supply and Sanitation, and the German team (comprising employees of the blue-green team, the water management and sanitation company Emschergenossenschaft/Lippeverband and the Municipality of Baruth), were officially welcomed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection in Lusaka. 

The challenges in the water sector are enormous. With our project, funded by Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the Service Agency, we aim to help our partners achieve their ambitious goals, especially in drinking water supply and sanitation.

The 9 November 2021, our partner agency – Lukanga Water – took us on a tour of their facilities. We thus gained an impression of the water supply infrastructure, with its pumping stations, wells and water kiosk. We also saw the wastewater disposal facilities, which include the sewage treatment plant and drying basins, etc. Some of our colleagues were already intensively discussing first project ideas.

Then it was time for us to visit a school. We tested the students' knowledge about water in a playful way – and received an astonishing number of correct answers.  But we also had a good teacher with us.

Tour of the dam and the sewage disposal system

On 11 November 2021, we travelled by bus over unpaved roads, some of which were barely passable, past Mulungushi University, to the water supply dam.

There we were greeted by an astonishing sight – despite the dry season, it was filled to the brim with water.

In the afternoon we also visited the sewage ponds – which, according to our experts, are in a better condition than expected.

This day also marked the end of our tours. We saw a great deal, and over the next few months we will be tackling the next steps together with our colleagues from Lukanga Water. We will certainly be reporting on the first results.

Impressions