Lusaka Water Supply & Sanitation Company (LWSC) Demonstrates Resilience and Achieves Durable Growth Despite Significant Challenges
Impact at a Glance
- 38% increase in customer base
- 800K in overdue debts collected
- 20% increase in water production
Establishing steady growth in the aftermath of the devastating COVID-19 Pandemic
Set on the Central African Plateau, Lusaka is Zambia’s capital and the southern African nation’s largest and fastest-growing city. The Lusaka Water Supply & Sanitation Company (LWSC) serves more than 3 million customers with water and sanitation services. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many utilities struggled — and often failed — to maintain services to their existing customer base. Despite the challenges, LWSC wanted to focus on growth and stability.
Strategic Focus and Resilience: LWSC’s Path to Improvement
Jonathan Kampata, Lusaka Water Supply and Sanitation Company’s (LWSC) Managing Director and the primary point of contact with ROCKBlue when the two organizations partnered in 2018, had complete clarity about his priorities and those of his team. He says that the most valuable takeaway from that partnership was identifying “the many aspects of utility management and operations, [and focusing] on the top 3-5 activities that will have the greatest impact.”
From Challenges to Triumph: LWB’s Remarkable Journey
Working together, ROCKBlue and the LWSC set goals of improving LWSC’s revenue collection and meeting their aggressive growth goals. In 2018, LWSC produced only half of the daily water capacity needed by Lusaka’s residents and businesses, leaving tens of thousands in Zambia with limited access to safe drinking water.
In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic pushed most utilities to the brink, LWSC drew on this planning and ROCKBlue’s strategies for resilience, which positioned them to expand their services and improve their financial standing.
Despite significant pandemic-related supply chain disruptions, ROCKBlue’s support model empowered LWSC to:
- Collect more than $800,000 in overdue debts
- Reduce non-revenue water by replacing meters along their main transmission
- Increase water production capacity by nearly 20%
All of this happened during a time when many utilities struggled—and often failed—to maintain services to their existing customer base.
Since COVID, while many utilities have invested all their resources in restoring their service to pre-pandemic levels, LWSC has focused on durable growth and stability.
By focusing on the priorities that make the greatest impact, they have:
- Grown their customer base by 38%
- Provided sanitation to 82% of their service area, an increase of 15%
- Nearly tripled operating profits
- Improved water quality to 95% compliance
- Increased operating cash growth three-fold
Other success stories
WASCO
LesothoOur first partnership – established in 2016 – is a testament to a long-term approach to providing durable water solutions.
LWSC
ZambiaUsing valuable lessons learned in the developing world, we have worked with this large utility to help serve millions.
