Kariba Dam rehab now 74% complete
BUSINESS REPORTER
The Kariba Dam Rehabilitation Project (KDRP) is now 74% complete, the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) has said.
The KDRP, which is expected to cost US$294m, is being funded by a combination of funds generated internally by the ZRA, which is jointly owned by the governments of Zimbabwe and Zambia, and amortised loans and grants sourced from cooperating partners such as the World Bank, African Development Bank, the European Union and the Swedish International Development Agency.
“The progress made so far on the Plunge Pool reshaping works is currently at 74%. There is no abnormal behaviour of the dam, the foundation, the cofferdam or the banks that has been noticed to-date,” ZRA said.
The Kariba dam rehabilitation project consists of two components which are the reshaping of the plunge pool downstream of the dam wall, which started in 2017 and, the rehabilitation of the spillway, which will comprise the refurbishment of the upstream stop-beam guides and the replacement of secondary concrete, and the design, fabrication and installation of an emergency gate and a new gantry as an additional safety precaution.
The spillway consists of the six gates in the upper part of the concrete dam wall through which the ZRA releases water into the plunge pool to manage the reservoir water levels.
Apart from improving the safety and increasing the Kariba Dam’s lifespan, the project is also expected to see the reshaping of the plunge pool will increase its size, reducing the pressure the water spilling into the plunge pool exerts on the base of the pool thereby slowing the erosion of the natural rock floor.
The works are scheduled to be completed by 2025.
The dam, built between 1955 and 1959, supplies water to two underground hydropower stations, the North Bank Power Station, which is operated by Zambia’s ZESCO and the South Bank Power Station, operated by Zimbabwe Power Company.
