LUBUMBASHI: Sanitation Status
Sanitation provision in Lubumbashi (DRC’s second-largest city, capital of Katanga Province) is grossly deficient, as in most cities in sub-Saharan Africa: most people do not have access to a hygienic toilet; large amounts of faecal waste are discharged to the environment without adequate treatment; this is likely to have major impacts on infectious disease burden and quality of life (Hutton et al. 2007). This article briefly summarizes the current sanitation situation in Lubumbashi.
This page is part of the fully editable open-access reference source on the sanitation status of all major cities in sub-Saharan Africa. The resource considers the 40 urban agglomerations in sub-Saharan Africa with a current population of 1 million or more. To read some of the other 40 country profiles, go back tothe resource Homepage.
N.B These pages should be considered as incomplete provisional drafts, and contributions are actively requested from specialists with expert local knowledge of each specific city
Table of Contents
- Background information
- Water resources and supply: overview
- Sanitation access
- Sewerage system
- Septage management (septage = nightsoil and/or sludge from onsite facilities)
- Sewage treatment (sewage = sewered wastes and/or septage)
- Sanitation in low-income districts
- Responsibility
- Sanitation masterplan?
- Sanitation financing
- Major investments and donor interventions
- Sources and further reading
- References
- Other City Profiles
Background information
Lubumbashi is an urban agglomeration with a population of about 1.5 million people (Brinkhoff 2010). It is a flat city at an altitude of about 1200 m, drained by the Kafubu River and its tributaries. Climate is tropical wet and dry (Köppen classification Aw). Flooding problems occur in some districts (no detailed information currently available); but flooding-related gullying damage is not as severe a problem as in Kinshasa (Arkamose 2004). Contaminant industries include copper smelting, textiles and food processing. We have no information on agricultural activity within the urban area. A large proportion of the population lives in low-income settlements, including very poor informal settlements. DRC was severely impacted by the Second Congo War from 1998−2003, and armed conflict continues in parts of the country.
Water resources and supply: overview
Water resources mainly come from two surface water sources (Kasapa and Kimilolo-Kisanga). The untreated water has good quality, and requires no treatment except for chlorination. The average production is 94,000 m3/day. Boreholes are currently being dug, and are projected to bring an additional capacity of 20,000 m3/day. Supply is reported to be intermittent, due to insufficient production capacity and local network leakage. No data are available on connection rates for Lubumbashi, but 2006 data for the urban population of Katanga Province (about 3.5 million, versus Lubumbashi population of about 1.5 million) indicates that 7% of the population have in-plot piped water and 20% use public standpipes, so that 73% have no direct access to the piped supply. [All data from World Bank 2008.]
Sanitation access
We have no information on the sanitation system in Lubumbashi. If similar to Kinshasa, most of the population probably depends on low-quality latrines. Cholera outbreaks have occurred recently, in 2003 and 2008 (MSF 2008).
Sewerage system
Lubumbashi has no sewerage system.
Septage management (septage = nightsoil and/or sludge from onsite facilities)
No specific information.
Sewage treatment (sewage = sewered wastes and/or septage)
As far as we are aware, Lubumbashi has no major facilities for treatment/disposal of wastewater or sludge.
Sanitation in low-income districts
No specific information. We are not aware of any detailed mapping of high-sanitation-need districts, or of any specific policy for sanitation improvement in informal settlements.
Responsibility
Urban water supply is under the control of a state-owned utility (REGIDESO), regulated by the Department of Water and Hydrology of the Ministry of Energy. The Programme national d’assainissement (PNA), under the Environment Ministry, is formally responsible for sanitation planning, disease prevention, solid waste disposal, excreta and liquid waste disposal, pollution prevention and control, domestic and industrial hygiene, drinking water quality, and public health education (Katsongo 2005); however, this entity is reported to be scarcely active outside Kinshasa (USAID 2009). National water and sanitation policy is coordinated by an inter-ministerial agency, the National Water and Sanitation Committee (CNAEA) (USAID 2009).
Sanitation masterplan?
No information available: there is presumably neither a sanitation masterplan nor any more general strategic planning document.
Sanitation financing
No specific information.
Major investments and donor interventions
We are not aware of any major current sanitation projects in Lubumbashi-Mayi. World Bank (2008; see Annex 2) lists major current donor-funded water and sanitation projects in DRC; see also a useful overview of donor involvement in USAID (2009).
Sources and further reading
See USAID (2009).
References
Arkamose AA (2004) L'état de l'environnement en République Démocratique du Congo à l'aube du IIIème millénaire.Theme IV. Degradation des sites urbains par erosion et inondations. http://www.congonline.com/Forum1/Forum03/Assani08.htm
Brinkhoff T (2010) City Population. http://www.citypopulation.de
Hutton G, Haller L & Bartram J (2007) Economic and health effects of increasing coverage of low cost household drinking-water supply and sanitation interventions to countries off-track to meet MDG target 10. Geneva, Switzerland, World Health Organization. http://www.irc.nl/page/38443
MSF [Medecins sans Frontieres] (2008) “DRC: Cholera epidemic hits the mining city of Lubumbashi”. News report 22 Jan 2008. http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/article.cfm?id=2476.
UNEP/GRID-Arendal (2002) Water availability in Africa. UNEP/GRID-Arendal Maps and Graphics Library. http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/water_availability_in_africa.
USAID (2009) Democratic Republic of the Congo: Water and Sanitation Profile. http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PNADO929.pdf
World Bank (2008) Project Appraisal Document: DRC Urban Water Supply Project. http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2008/12/23/000333038_20081223000400/Rendered/PDF/465450PAD0Repl120080IDAR20081031113.pdf
Other City Profiles
4) ANTANANARIVO (Madagascar) 3
7) BRAZZAVILLE (Republic of Congo) 3
12) DAR ES SALAAM (Tanzania) 3
14) DURBAN THEKWINI (South Africa) 3
18) JOHANNESBURG-EKURHULENI (South Africa) 3
23) KINSHASA (Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC) 3
27) LUBUMBASHI (Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC) 3
31) MBUJI-MAYI (Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC) 3
35) OUGADOUGOU (Burkina Faso) 3
36) PORT ELIZABETH (South Africa) 3
