ISBN 9786054735846

M. MWANZA et al./ ISEM2016 Alanya – Turkey
The aim of the study is to assess the potential of solar energy in averting the water borne disease burden in
the rural areas of Zambia, through improved access to safe clean water supply sources by using solar energy
in water pumping systems. This desktop study involved collecting data from various literatures.
2. Water Situation in Zambia
2.1. Water Resources
The country has adequate water resources as compared to other countries in the region with water surface area
of about 9,220km2. It is rich in lakes such as Lake Mweru, Bangweulu, and Tanganyika and manmade lakes
of Kariba and Itezhi-Tezhi, and rivers like Zambezi, Kafue, Luapula, Chambeshi, and Luangwa as shown in
figure 1[2]. Table 1 shows statistics on the river catchment areas of some rivers and lakes in Zambia [2].
However, despite rich in water resources the availability of water in the country, both surface water and
groundwater is not evenly distributed as shown in figure 2, and the access to safe clean water by the rural
population is low. The country has average annual rainfall ranging between 600 mm in the south and 1, 500
mm in the north [2,6].
Figure 1: River Basins of Zambia [2]
Table 1: Percentage Contribution of Rivers and Lakes to Water Resource [2]
River/Lake
Total
Area(km 2 )
Contribution to Surface
water Potential (%)
Annual Run-
Off (km 3 )
Zambezi 803,267 36,36 41,75
Luapula 268,235 26,25 30,14
Luangwa 144,358 19,44 22,32
Chambeshi 44,427 7,62 8,75
Kafue River 156,995 8,40 9,88
Tanganyika 15,856 1,73 1,99
Total for Zambia 803,267 99,8 114,83
(Source: Ministry of Energy and Water Development)
*Mabvuto MWANZA: Address: Solar Energy Institute, Department of Energy Technology, Ege University, 35100, Izmir
TURKEY. E-mail address: mabvuto_mwanza@yahoo.com, Phone: +905060584392
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