BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
Water levels are rising in Lake Kariba as runoff from nearby areas have started flowing in, Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) has said, amid hopes that electricity generation would increase.
Zimbabweans have been forced to endure up to 19 hours of power outages a day due to low water levels at the dam.
According to a press statement from ZRA, the agency jointly controlled by Zimbabwe and Zambia, the dam increased the flow by 476.85m of usable storage water as of Friday, which is above the minimum operating level.
“It is worth noting that the lake level at Kariba, which had been in recession in the last quarter of 2022, has been rising steadily following the onset of rains on and around the lake and Zambezi River Upper Catchment,” ZRA said.
The year 2023 commenced with a low lake level of 475.61m or 0.83% of live storage available for power generation on 1st January 2023. This was an increase from the lowest record of 475.60m (10cm above the Minimum Operating Level-MOL) recorded on 30th December 2022.
From this lower lake level, the level now increased to 476.85m recorded today, 16th February 2023 which translates to 6 Billion Cubic Meters (BCM) or 9.32% of stored usable water meant for power generation by the two utilities – ZESCO Limited and Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) at Kariba North Bank Power Station and Kariba South Power Station, respectively.”
ZRA said the level translates to a rise of 1.24m from the level recorded on 1st January 2023 meaning that the current lake level of 476.85m, therefore, places the lake at 1.35 meters above the Minimum Operating Level (MOL) of 475.50m.
The double-curvature concrete dam has an estimated height of 128m with a crest length of 617m and has the capacity to hold back 181 billion cubic metres of water.
It generates an estimated 1 080 megawatts of electricity output for Zambia and 1 050 megawatts for Zimbabwe, but, however water levels have dwindled sharply in recent years, raising fears that the two nations’ hydropower turbines may have to switch off completely if water levels continue to decline.