KARIBA DAM WALL ...IN DANGER... A Zambian minister on Monday sounded the alarm over the condition of the Kariba Dam as he appealed for hundreds of millions of dollars to pay for urgent repairs. The hydro-electric dams wall, which is 128 metres (420 feet) high, must to be repaired within the next three years, Energy and Water Development Minister Christopher Yaluma said on state radio. We need at least $220 million (160 million euro) to resolve this issue, he said. Its quite serious but we are determined to resolve it. The gigantic dam, which straddles Zambia and Zimbabwe, is one of the worlds largest, generating more than 1,300 megawatts of hydropower for the two countries. Should its wall collapse, flooding from the Zambezi River could hit parts of Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique, affecting millions of people. Yaluma said the Development Bank of Southern Africa and the World Bank have both shown interest in funding the repair works. But the Zambia-based company that manages the dam, the Zambezi River Authority, moved to allay fears that the facility was facing imminent danger. While the situation at the Kariba Dam wall is cause for grave concern, the engineers on the ground have the situation under control, company spokeswoman Elizabeth Karonga said in a statement seen by Zimbabwe state media. This does not translate to an immediate calamity. The company said the dam was last inspected in 2010. The dam, built in 1955, is situated in the Kariba Gorge of the Zambezi River basin. It has two power stations – the northern plant, which belongs to Zambia, and the southern plant controlled by Zimbabwe.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 08:41:29 +0000
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