𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠𝗔 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗮𝗺 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲

Date: 8th October, 2025

The Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA) is developing the Dam Safety Inspection Guidelines, a crucial step in safeguarding Zambia’s water security, dam integrity, and climate resilience.

Speaking during the ongoing technical meeting to review the draft of the guidelines, Acting Director General Mrs. Misozi Ngulube-Lumpa emphasized that “𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵.”

She noted that the development of the guidelines is not merely a technical exercise but a national commitment to strengthen oversight, promote safe infrastructure, and build resilience against the impacts of climate change. As Zambia’s water infrastructure continues to expand, the need to protect lives, property, and investments from preventable disasters has become both urgent and strategic.

Mrs. Ngulube-Lumpa added that the absence of comprehensive dam safety inspection standards creates regulatory gaps and increased vulnerability to dam-related risks, which could have serious consequences for public safety, environmental integrity, and socio-economic development.

Anchored on Sections 120 to 124 of the Water Resources Management Act No. 21 of 2011, the guidelines empower WARMA to regulate, monitor, and enforce dam safety standards. They also complement other statutory instruments, including the emerging Water Resources Management (Water Harvesting and Storage) Regulations of 2024. Together, these frameworks provide a strong foundation for WARMA to operationalize its regulatory mandate and strengthen oversight on dam safety and water storage systems.

The guidelines aim to establish a robust and scientific framework for dam safety across Zambia by ensuring.

𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆: Providing clear, enforceable standards for the design, construction, operation, and decommissioning of all dams, regardless of size or ownership.

𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗠𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Incorporating proactive measures such as hazard classification and mandatory Emergency Preparedness and Response Plans (EPRPs) to safeguard communities and assets.

𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Adopting best practices from the World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB), and the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) to attract and protect investment in water infrastructure.

At the national level, the Dam Safety Inspection Guidelines will play a pivotal role in disaster risk reduction, environmental protection, sustainable water resource management, and economic development. They are fully aligned with Zambia’s Vision 2030, the Eighth National Development Plan, and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 6 Clean Water and Sanitation and Goal 13 Climate Action.

As the national regulator, WARMA remains committed to enforcing dam safety standards, conducting inspections, and guiding the sustainable management of water infrastructure to safeguard communities, protect the environment, and secure Zambia’s water future.