The purpose of this study was to understand the problem of attaining safe and clean water that has contributed to high incidence of water borne diseases and to investigate its effects on the residents of Chawama Township, Lusaka, Zambia. A survey was used to collect data from 400 male and female participants to determine their source, treatment and storage of water; sanitary facilities; attitude, experience and knowledge of waterborne diseases. Findings indicated that, the most common source of water was communal city taps and residents did not boil or add chlorine to make it safe for use, making it susceptible for them to contract waterborne diseases. Pit latrines were the common type of toilet facility residents used. Almost all of the participants had a wide knowledge of waterborne diseases particularly cholera and diarrhea. An understanding of the link between unsafe water and waterborne diseases can be useful to the decision makers for planning, management and evaluation of water supply policies.