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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Rachel Savage and Nyasha Chingono at Kariba Dam

‘Levels are dropping’: drought saps Zambia and Zimbabwe of hydropower

Exposed islands of rocks can be seen in the depleted Zambezi River, which feeds the Kariba Dam.
Exposed islands of rocks can be seen in the depleted Zambezi River, which feeds the Kariba Dam. Photograph: Rachel Savage/The Guardian

All is not well with the waters of Lake Kariba, the world’s largest human-made lake. A punishing drought has drained the huge reservoir close to record lows, raising the prospect that the Kariba Dam, which powers the economies of Zambia and Zimbabwe, may have to shut down for the first time in its 65-year history.

Under the heat of the dry-season sun, the lake looks vast, serene. But, earlier this year, a severe effect of El Niño caused the worst mid-rainy season dry spell in southern Africa in a century.

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