Brief description of the Zambezi Basin

• Angola
• Botswana
• Malawi
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Tanzania
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

Area of the basin
1.390.000 km2

Length of the Zambezi river
2.574 km

Main tributaries

Luanguinga: right bank (Angola)
Kuando-Utemo: right bank (Angola-Namibia-Botswana)
Kafue: left bank (Zambia)
Luangwa-Lusemfua: left bank (Zambia)
Manyame/Panhame: right bank (Zimbabwe-Moçambique)
Luia-Capoche: left bank (Mozambique)
Revubue: left bank (Mozambique)
Mazoe-Luenha: right bank (Zimbabwe-Mozambique)
Chire: left bank (Malawi-Mozambique)

Source:
Kalene Hill (Zambia) Mouth: Chinde-Indian Ocean (Mozambique)

Major dams:

One of the hydraulic undertakings is the Kariba dam and lake, which has a maximum storage capacity of 180 Km3 of water. This makes it the 3rd largest artificial reservoir in the world and the 2nd in Africa. Kariba is located on the stretch of the middle Zambezi that separates Zimbabwe from Zambia and it is managed by the ZRA, Zambezi River Authority.

The other major undertaking is the Cahora Bassa dam and lake, also on the terminal stretch of the middle Zambezi. This created a reservoir with the maximum capacity for 63 Km3 of water, the 12th largest in the world and the 5th in Africa.

By order of importance, there follow the dams of Itezhitezi and Kafue Gorge, on the Kafue river, Lunsemfwa on the river of the same name, Mulungushi, in Zambia, and Manyame, Masvikadei, Sebakwe and Chivero, in Zimbabwe, all with storage capacities in excess of 200 million cubic metres. Apart from these, there are another 24 large dams, but of lesser capacity in the Zambezi basin, of which 23 are in Zimbabwe and 1 is in Malawi.

Sites for other major dams have already been identified. Some of these are at the stage of preliminary or viability studies, or are at the project stage.

The diagram above shows the main existing dams, and those envisaged for the main course of the Zambezi river: Batoka, Devil's Gorge and Mupata Gorge, along the Zambia-Zimbabwe international stretch, and M'Panda Uncua, Boroma and Lupata, in Mozambique.

These undertakings, together with the existing dams, represent, in the envisaged configurations, total power of 12,087 MW. They also include the Cahora Bassa north bank power station, and the installed power at Victoria Falls.

Apart from the large dams mentioned, there is a series of numerous small dams. Most of these reservoirs, which rarely exceed the capacity of 100,000 m3, are intended for irrigated agriculture and for public water supply. The great majority of them are in Zimbabwe and Zambia.

It is estimated that in Zimbabwe there are about 11,000 small dams, of which 5,820 are located in the Zambezi basin. This corresponds to a total storage capacity of about 4.6 million cubic metres.

In Zambia, although there is no exact knowledge of the number of small dams, it is estimated that their total storage capacity amounts to around 12 million cubic metres, much more than in Zimbabwe and located almost exclusively in the Zambezi basin.

In Mozambique, apart from the Cahora Bassa dam and the South Bank power station, already built, the construction of the M´Panda Uncua dam is envisaged. Viability studies and draft projects are being drawn up.

But earlier, during the studies undertaken by the MFPZ (Zambezi Promotion and Settlement Mission), and later by the GPZ, a total of 12 sites were identified with hydro-power and irrigation potential along the main course of the Zambezi and its major tributaries.

These included a dam on the Luia river, where power of around 1,076 MW could be generated; 3 places on the Revubué river, with total power potential of 533 MW, and one at Nhamalabué, which could produce 1,170 MW.

Taken together, these undertakings represent about 9,000 MW, which is still lower than the hydro-electric potential of the Zambezi Basin in Mozambican territory.