Biography
Dr. Joel Kabika is a Water and Sanitation Engineer, academic, researcher, and technical consultant with nearly two decades of experience in teaching, research, consultancy, and professional practice in Zambia and the wider Southern African region. He is a Lecturer in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Zambia, where he teaches and supervises undergraduate and postgraduate students in water resources management, hydrology, fluid mechanics, and on-site sanitation.
Dr. Kabika holds a PhD in Integrated Water Resources Management from the University of Zambia, an MSc in Integrated Water Resources Management from the University of Dar es Salaam, and a BEng in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Zambia. He has also undertaken specialised professional training in Sanitation at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, ITEC Mumbai, and the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
His consultancy experience includes groundwater mapping and management, faecal sludge management and treatment plant studies, city-wide inclusive sanitation, water resources planning, and TEVET curriculum development. He has served as Team Leader and Lead Consultant on several national and internationally supported projects.
Dr. Kabika is a registered engineer with the Engineering Registration Board of Zambia and a professional member of the Engineering Institution of Zambia. He has published in peer-reviewed journals and contributes to national technical committees on water, wastewater, and sanitation standards and regulations.
Publications
List of Key Publications
- Sorensen, J. P. R., Lapworth, D. J., Nkhuwa, D. C. W., Stuart, M. E., Gooddy, D. C., Bell, R. A., Chirwa, M., Kabika, J., Liemisa, M., Chibesa, M., & Pedley, S. (2015). Emerging contaminants in urban groundwater sources in Africa. Water Research, 72, 51–63.
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2014.08.002. PubMed - Sorensen, J. P. R., Lapworth, D. J., Marchant, B. P., Nkhuwa, D. C. W., Pedley, S., Stuart, M. E., Bell, R. A., Chirwa, M., Kabika, J., Liemisa, M., & Chibesa, M. (2015). In-situ tryptophan-like fluorescence: A real-time indicator of faecal contamination in drinking water supplies. Water Research, 81, 38–46.
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2015.05.035. PubMed - Sorensen, J. P. R., Lapworth, D. J., Read, D. S., Nkhuwa, D. C. W., Bell, R. A., Chibesa, M., Chirwa, M., Kabika, J., Liemisa, M., & Pedley, S. (2015). Tracing enteric pathogen contamination in sub-Saharan African groundwater. Science of the Total Environment, 538, 888–895.
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.08.119. PubMed - Ward, B. J., Andriessen, N., Tembo, J. M., Kabika, J., Grau, M., Scheidegger, A., Morgenroth, E., & Strande, L. (2021). Predictive models using “cheap and easy” field measurements: Can they fill a gap in planning, monitoring, and implementing fecal sludge management solutions? Water Research, 196, 116997.
DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.116997. ResearchGate - Iradukunda, P., Mwanaumo, E. M., & Kabika, J. (2023). Hydroclimatic trend analysis and projection in Africa tropical urban regions: Cases of Lusaka, Zambia and Kigali, Rwanda. Urban Climate, 52, Article 101680.
DOI: 10.1016/j.uclim.2023.101680. ScienceDirect - Habanyama, M., Kabika, J., & Mwiinga, L. (2024). Effects of Climate Change-Induced Flooding on Onsite Sanitation Services: A Case Study of Kanyama, Compound in Lusaka, Zambia. African Journal of Climate Change and Resource Sustainability, 3(1), 98–115.
DOI: 10.37284/ajccrs.3.1.1861. EANSO Journals - Tembo, M., & Kabika, J. (2023). Development of an Inclusive City-Wide Faecal Sludge Management Business Model for Kabwe Town, Zambia. International Journal of Engineering and Management Research, 13(2).
DOI: 10.31033/ijemr.13.2.1. IJEMR - Mwanza, M., & Kabika, J. (2026). Characterisation of the Ntanisha Aquifer for Sustainable Well-Field Operation and Management in Chongwe, Zambia. East African Journal of Environment and Natural Resources, 9(1), 417–436.
DOI: 10.37284/eajenr.9.1.4765. ResearchGate
Research Interest
Research Interest
Integrated Water Resources Management; groundwater assessment, modelling and sustainable management; hydrology and catchment management; climate-change impacts on water resources and hydraulic infrastructure; flood and drought risk assessment; urban water and sanitation systems; onsite sanitation and faecal sludge management; water quality and environmental health; climate-resilient sanitation; and water and sanitation policy, governance and capacity development.
Projects and Grants
Active Research Projects
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