The Kariba Dam’s water level ended last year at its lowest in 23 years, but recent data from three major river flow stations along the Zambezi River, show the encouraging trend that water flow towards the giant lake rose exponentially in December last year.

Kariba Dam is Zimbabwe’s largest power station, with capacity to produce 1 050MW, but is currently generating electricity at curtailed level due to critically low water levels following the drought experienced in the catchment area of the dam’s main feeder river.

While Kariba Dam is designed to operate at about 485 metres (water level) when full, its water level had dropped substantially to about 476 metres as at December 27, 2019 compared to 482 metres at the same time in December the previous year.

The world’s largest man-made inland dam is thus currently generating an average of 200 megawatts in tandem with the reduced lake water levels at Kariba, which ended last year at about 8,36 percent of live or usable water.

Live water is water above 475 metres below which the dam cannot be used for power generation, as this poses risk of exposing inlet valves to dangerous weather elements.

It is also critically important to avoid depleting Kariba Dam since the reservoir would require at least three good rainy seasons to fill it up again without using it to generate electricity in the event that it drains out.

Even when not used for power generation, the dam must still have water for fishing and recreational activities.