Community Participation in water Projects: The Case of Muyembe Dam in Zambia

Inadequate and reliable water infrastructure to service communities is pervasive in Zambia, especially in rural areas. Under the Water Policy of 1994, the government of Zambia embarked on a rural water reform programme that includes the constructions of small dams guided by the principles of “participation” of rural communities. This paper explores the link between participation and sustainability of community managed water projects, drawing on the experience of Muyembe dam. Constructed in 2004, the Muyembe dam in Kawambwa, a place that experiences serious water crisis, collapsed three times since it was constructed, raising concerns in parliament about its rehabilitation in relation to benefits. The causal factors behind deterioration of dam may include technical as well as social aspects. Taking a social perspective, the paper shows how despite the government’s commitment to the participatory approach and decentralising management in the water resources sector, clarity of roles in the informal and formal institutions to manage conflicting interests is absent. Unclear legal framework regarding the roles and responsibilities of actors can lead to non-accountability of Water Users Association to the people. Customary land use, gender relations and customary law in participation have not been taken into account. The study emphasizes that given the connection between participation and sustainability of community managed water projects, a clear understanding of contextual factors and the ability of actors to resolve the tension, or bridge the distance, between state-based institutional frameworks and locally embedded practices.is crucial to ensure success.