Own Correspondent|Zambezi River Authority Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Munyaradzi Munodawafa has told Zambian President Edgar Lungu that the High volume of water seen at the Victoria falls will take nine weeks to reach the Kariba dam.

Speaking when President Lungu made a tour of Kariba Dam to understand why it is still not operating at full capacity, Mr Munodawafa said that high water level recorded at the Victoria Falls have not yet reached the Kariba Dam.

Mr. Munodawafa said even when the water levels increase in Lake Kariba the Authority will not allow the two power utility firms from Zimbawe and Zambia to use more than the allocated cubic liters of water for this year.

Mr. Munodawafa said the idea is to reserve water for next year’s use in an event that the dam does not receive enough water due to the effects of climate change.

He also said even when the water reaches the Kariba Dam it will not be sufficient to generate the required electricity.

The ZRA Chief Exective Officer also informed the President that the high water levels which were recorded in Chavuma did not all reach Kariba because part of it was used to fill the flood plains along the way .

Speaking after listening to the presentation by Zambezi River Authority, President Lungu said the Zambian government is investing in other sources of energy in order to address the power challenges.

President Lungu said there is also need to look after the environment in order to avoid effects of climate change. The President said part of the reason why the rainfall pattern is disturbed is because of poor management of the environment. President Lungu said the investment made in the energy sector will soon start yielding results.

Zambian Energy Minister, Mathew Nkhuwa urged people to take interest and visit the Kariba Dam as soon as the lockdowns are cleared. He said it is not fair for politicians to mislead the public that the water levels have risen at Kariba when in fact not.

Mr Nkhuwa said it will take more than three rain seasons to have the required water in the dam. He said once the Kafue lower and Batoka power projects are worked on, they will help in reducing load shedding in Zambia.

Later, President Lungu toured the Kafue lower Gorge power station which is under construction. The power station is expected to start generating power before the end of this year.

Source: Lusaka Times