by Innocent Mujeri
Power generation at Kariba Hydro Power station is set to significantly improve as the water levels in Zambezi River continue to rise, the Harare Post can report.
Presenting the Tenth Cabinet Decision Matrix yesterday, Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Monica Mutsvangwa said the increased water levels in Zambezi River will result in Kariba Dam filling up which bodes well for electricity supply in the country.
Water levels in Kariba Dam had been dwindling over the years due to successive droughts that have hit the Southern Africa region and this negatively impacted on power generation at Kariba Hydro Power Station.
Minister Mutsvangwa also said the improved water levels in the Zambezi river will result in Victoria Falls becoming more scenic and attracting more tourists.
“Cabinet noted with satisfaction that the water flows in the Zambezi River had been improving significantly over the past two weeks with flows at the Victoria Falls rising from 3 840 cubic metres per second as at 26th of March 2020 to 4 270 cubic metres per second as at 2nd of April 2020.Cabinet noted that the improved water levels would result in the Victoria Falls becoming more scenic and thereby attracting more tourists.
“Also, this will result in increased water levels at the Kariba Dam which bodes well for electricity generation,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.
The Zambezi River, which is the main water supplier to Kariba Dam, had been severely affected by drought and this saw Kariba Power Station failing to generate its peak capacity of 1050 MW due to the low water levels.
The country had to use thousands of dollars to import electricity from neighbouring South Africa and Mozambique to complement low power coming from Kariba Hydro Power Station.
The significant inflows into the Kariba Dam is therefore a welcome development as the power generation at the Kariba power plant will definitely improve, resultantly address the crippling load shedding that had negatively affected economic production.
