Possible Kariba Dam Collapse Pressures $250 Million Repair Schedule for Zambia, Zimbabwe

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Written by Richard Finlayson, Senior International Editor for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Last week, it was reported that the Kariba hydropower dam, lying between Zambia (north bank) and Zimbabwe (south bank), had developed serious structural weaknesses and was on the verge of collapsing, threatening the lives and livelihoods of 3.5 million people. Kariba is a major contributor to the power supply of both countries.

Zambian Finance Ministry Permanent Secretary Felix Nkulukusa said there was a need for Zimbabwe and Zambia to raise $250 million to avoid the potential crisis. An unstable foundation could wash away the dam if nothing is done in the next three years.

According to the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA), the dam wall was suffering from alkali-aggregate reaction, which induced swelling within the concrete mass. Nkulukusa said that another problem was that the spillway no longer opens automatically to maintain the required water levels.

But News Day reported that while the Zambian government acknowledged the gravity of the situation, its Zimbabwean counterparts were attempting to downplay it.

Following the initial crisis reports, the ZRA, with members from Zimbabwe and Zambia, said: "We would like to inform the public that comments in the media which said Kariba Dam wall faces collapse were made during a roundtable discussion with cooperating partners. Scenarios were presented on what could happen should rehabilitation works not be taken up with urgency. Please, do not be alarmed.

"Measures are underway to start the rehabilitation process in the third quarter of the year. The meeting at which these issues were presented was to raise funds for the work to start around September."

The edginess between the two countries on the state of Kariba's dam wall is probably a good thing for the 3.5 million people downstream. Maintenance and repair of the region's installations are often not given the priority they require. But now that the issue has been put under the spotlight, it can be expected that the 2014 maintenance and repair schedule will be followed.

The Cahora Bassa hydro-dam, which is downstream in Mozambique, would be destroyed if Kariba collapsed, and a major threat to power supply in the region would be experienced.

Construction of Kariba Dam wall was started in the late 1950s, and the maximum water level was reached in 1963. The wall has a height of 128 meters and a length of 579 meters. The wall has a thickness of more than 24 meters to sustain the pressure of nearly 10 million liters of water per second passing through the spillway.

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