Is Tap Water Safe to Drink in Zambia?

Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company (LWSC) draws water from a mix of boreholes tapping the karst limestone aquifer beneath the city and surface intake from the Kafue River, while other regions rely on the Zambezi River and Lake Kariba. The karst geology beneath Lusaka creates a highly fractured aquifer that offers little natural filtration.

Lusaka's karst aquifer is especially vulnerable to contamination because fractured limestone allows sewage and pit latrine waste to travel quickly into groundwater with minimal filtering, a factor cited in the city's severe 2017–2018 and 2023–2024 cholera outbreaks. Distribution network leaks further compound bacterial contamination risk even where borehole water starts relatively clean.

Lusaka faces the most acute contamination risk due to its unique karst geology and dense informal settlements like Kanyama and Chazanga, which have been epicenters of past cholera outbreaks, while the Copperbelt and areas near the Kafue River face industrial and mining-related contamination concerns.

Lusaka's karst limestone aquifer produces notably hard water, often 250–400 mg/L, while Kafue River and Zambezi surface water sources tend to be softer, typically 80–150 mg/L..

Many Lusaka residents boil water or purchase bottled water and sachet water where affordable, though access to safe treatment remains a significant challenge in lower-income and informal settlement areas.

• •Drink only bottled or boiled water in Lusaka, especially in informal settlement areas
• •Avoid tap water entirely during cholera outbreak alerts
• •Boil water for at least one minute before drinking or use chlorine treatment
• •Avoid ice from informal vendors and street food stalls

• •Follow official cholera outbreak advisories closely, particularly during rainy season (November–April)
• •Avoid pit latrine-adjacent well water in informal settlements entirely