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The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) has reported a steady rise in water levels at Kariba Dam, reaching 475.87 metres as of January 6, 2025.
This represents a 2.61 percent improvement in usable storage capacity for hydropower production.
According to ZRA, the rise is attributed to sustained rainfall in the reservoir’s catchment area, aligning with the forecast of normal-to-above-normal rainfall for the 2024/25 rainy season in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
“The lake level is steadily increasing due to sustained rainfall on the reservoir and immediate catchment, closing the period under review at 475.87m (2.61 percent usable storage) on January 6, 2025, compared to 477.28m (12.32 percent usable storage) recorded on the same date last year,” ZRA stated.
The authority has subsequently revised its water allocation for power generation upwards to 27 billion cubic metres (BCM), a significant increase from the 16 BCM allocated during the 2023/24 hydrological year.
Last year, critically low water levels forced a drastic reduction in power output, with water allocation sufficient to generate only 214 MW compared to Kariba’s full hydroelectric capacity of 1,050 MW.
This led to prolonged power rationing in both Zimbabwe and Zambia, which share the dam’s water resources equally for power generation.
The Kariba Dam is designed to operate optimally between 475.50 metres and 488.50 metres.
ZRA remained optimistic that continued rainfall would further bolster dam levels and ease power constraints in the region.
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