Evaluation of the Lusaka Water Supply, Sanitation, and Drainage (LWSSD) Project

Assignment name:

Evaluation of the Lusaka Water Supply, Sanitation, and Drainage (LWSSD) Project

Approx. value of the contract (in current US$):

US$ 277,856

Country: Zambia

Location within country: Lusaka

Duration of assignment (months): 5

Name of Client: Mathematica Policy Research (MPR); Millenium Challenge Corporation (MCC)

Total No. of staff-months of the assignment: 60

Contact Person, Title/Designation, Tel. No./Address:

Clair Null, [email protected]

Start date (month/year): July 2021

Completion date (month/year): November 2021

No. of professional staff-months provided by your consulting firm/organization or your sub consultants: 60

Name of associated Consultants, if any: N/A

Name of senior professional staff of your consulting firm/organization involved and designation and/or functions performed (e.g. Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader):

Prof. Gelson Tembo – Survey Coordinator/Principal Investigator (PI); Nathan Tembo – Master Trainer/Field Manager; Doreen Goma – Master Trainer/Field Manager; Chishimba Kampamba – Data Manager/IT Specialist; Festus Tembo – Financial Manager

Description of Project:

The Lusaka Water Supply Sanitation and Drainage (LWSSD) project aimed to expand access to and improve the quality of water and sanitation services and upgrade drainage infrastructure in Lusaka. Implemented from 2013 to 2018, the project involved rehabilitating and extending water and sewer networks in residential areas, reducing non-revenue water (NRW) losses, and expanding major drains. The project also focused on institutional strengthening through capacity building for the Lusaka Water and Sanitation Company (LWSC) and Lusaka City Council (LCC) to ensure long-term sustainability of WASH interventions. Key areas targeted included Mtendere, Chipata, SOS, and Jack Compound, among others. Palm Associates was contracted by Mathematica to conduct data collection for the independent evaluation, which aimed to measure the project’s impact on water access, sanitation, drainage, and related health outcomes.

Palm Associates employed a mixed-methods performance evaluation approach combining quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques. Quantitative data was collected using Computer Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI) on tablets with CSPro software.

Description of actual services provided by your staff within the assignment:

Data collection involved random sampling and stratified random sampling in designated neighborhoods. Household chlorine tests were conducted to assess drinking water quality, and the methodology also involved conducting high-frequency checks (HFCs) and implementing quality assurance protocols. Qualitative data was collected through key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs), focusing on community perspectives and stakeholder insights. Data triangulation and validation were integral to the process to ensure robust findings.

Key activities included:

1. Designing and pre-testing data collection instruments tailored to the WASH context.

2. Training enumerators and field supervisors on CAPI data collection techniques, including quality assurance protocols.

3. Conducting household surveys across the targeted areas (n=4,250 households) using digital data collection methods.

4. Performing chlorine tests on drinking water samples to assess water quality at household level.

5. Implementing rigorous data quality control measures, including High-Frequency Checks (HFCs).

6. Cleaning, processing, and validating data sets before final submission to Mathematica.

7. Preparing comprehensive reports detailing data collection processes, challenges, and key findings.

8. Engaging stakeholders through regular reporting and validation workshops to ensure data relevance and accuracy.

Study outcome:

The evaluation provided robust data on the LWSSD project’s impact on water access, sanitation improvements, and drainage efficacy. The results informed strategic decision-making by MCC and LWSC, facilitating evidence-based policy formulation. The project demonstrated significant improvements in water supply reliability, reduction in waterborne diseases, and enhanced drainage capacity, contributing to improved living conditions in Lusaka. Lessons learned from the evaluation were used to inform future WASH projects in Zambia and similar contexts.