The goal of this study was to determine whether there was a relationship between knowledge and practices regarding the protection of water resources among Ng'ombe residents who lived within the buffer zone around the Chamba stream. This was done in order to determine why buffer zone encroachment and degradation appear to be common in Zambia despite the country's laws and policies that have been in existence since 1964. The three key objectives were (1) To establish whether the residents of Ng’ombe were aware of the existing laws and policies on water resource protection in Zambia; (2) To determine the relationship between knowledge on IWRM and the practices of the Ng’ombe residents within the river buffer zone. (3)To determine the role the mandated authorities play in sensitizing local communities on water resource protection. The data collection was done using random sampling for the collection of quantitative data from households living within the Chamba stream buffer zone in Ng’ombe. The qualitative data was collected from three significant Zambian government organizations that are mandated by law to protect the Zambian water resources. These were The Water Resource Management Authority (WARMA) The Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) and the Lusaka City Council (LCC). This research found that the majority of the Ng'ombe residents who lived within the riparian buffer zone of the Chamba Stream had little understanding of the current laws and regulations in Zambia, according to this study. In other instances, it was found that those who had knowledge on water resource protection still practiced negatively impacting activities within the riparian buffer zone. This was mostly related to the legal interactions on matters pertaining to the protection of water resources between the communities and the pertinent authorities. The results of this study also showed that a variety of other elements, including behavioral modification, the introduction of environmentally friendly alternative livelihoods, and improved educational levels, are crucial for assuring the protection of water resources in communities. In summary, taking into account the aforementioned explanations, the findings demonstrated that there was an inverse link between knowledge and practices within the Chamba stream buffer zone.

Keywords : Water Resource Protection, Riparian Buffer Zone, Knowledge, Practices.