The Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA) and the Office of the Public Protector have reaffirmed the importance of closer institutional collaboration in strengthening water governance, public accountability and the protection of citizens.
The Director General of WARMA, Ms. Misozi Ngulube, made the call when she paid a courtesy call on the Public Protector, Mrs. Caroline Sokoni, at the Office of the Public Protector in Lusaka on Wednesday, 26th August 2026.
The engagement provided an opportunity for the two institutions to discuss a range of issues relating to water governance and the public interest, including water security, climate-related droughts and floods, water-resource protection, land-use planning, pollution, illegal water abstraction, riverbank cultivation and the need for stronger coordination among institutions.
Ms. Ngulube highlighted the importance of water security to Zambiaโ€™s national development and the increasing pressures on water resources arising from climate variability, increasing demand and human activities.
She also highlighted WARMAโ€™s ongoing work to strengthen water-resource monitoring, data management, forecasting and early-warning systems, as well as the continuous identification, mapping and delineation of strategic and critical water-resource areas across the country.
The Director General emphasised the importance of ensuring that water-resource information informs broader Government planning and development decisions, particularly in relation to land allocation, settlement development and activities in areas that are critical to the protection of water resources.
The discussions also considered the need to balance water allocation and regulation with competing national needs, including agriculture, energy, domestic requirements, industry and environmental protection.
Ms. Ngulube noted the importance of continued community and stakeholder engagement to ensure that affected communities and water users understand regulatory decisions and interventions.
The engagement further recognised the practical intersection between the mandates of WARMA and the Office of the Public Protector, particularly where water-resource issues have implications for public administration and the welfare of citizens.
The Public Protector appreciated the work being undertaken by WARMA and called for closer collaboration between the two institutions, particularly in responding to and managing water-related disasters and issues affecting communities.
The two institutions also recognised the importance of stronger information sharing, appropriate referrals, public awareness and coordinated consideration of systemic issues where their mandates intersect.
As a key outcome of the engagement, the two institutions agreed on the need to explore the development of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide a structured framework for collaboration and cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
The proposed MoU will provide an opportunity to strengthen institutional coordination while respecting the respective statutory mandates of the two institutions, with the shared objective of improving public service delivery, strengthening water governance and ensuring that citizens receive appropriate responses to water-related concerns.
The engagement marks an important step towards building a more structured partnership between WARMA and the Office of the Public Protector in support of sustainable water-resource management, public accountability and the public interest.