Water Levels of Zambezi and Kafue Rivers Rise, as Zambia Recovers from Drought

Over the past year, there has been a notable rise in the water levels at various points along the Kafue and Zambezi rivers. This welcome news was shared on Wednesday by Collins Nzovu, Minister of Water Development and Sanitation.

In some areas, the improvement was dramatic; Chavuma Monitoring Station on the Zambezi recorded a discharge of over 3,500 cubic metres of water, a seven-fold increase from last April’s paltry 486. Raglan Station in Chingola recorded a 176% rise on that section of the Kafue River.  

Nzovu situated these important developments in the context of last year’s drought, which severely impacted Zambia’s hydroelectric power generation and agriculture. Rising water levels in the country’s largest rivers marks an important step towards recovery from that traumatic event.

Another significant component of this recovery is water storage in reservoirs. In this regard, Nzovu noted that there is still work to do. He shared that Lake Kariba’s usable water storage has decreased by 3% since last April, as the country depleted its storage amid the drought. Notably however, the storage levels at Itezhi-Tezhi Reservoir remains unchanged, and Kafue Gorge reported a slight increase.

This news, the minister argued, “reflects the slow recovery from the severe drought and continues to pose a threat to water security”. For this reason, he stated that “the Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation reaffirms its commitment to ongoing surveillance of the nation’s water resources”.

This surveillance is important work and will be vital to Zambia’s recovery. Much remains to be done but the rivers’ rising water levels signify notable progress.