Vice President Inonge Wina says the water level in the Kariba Dam have not yet reached the required quantity for ZESCO to minimize or stop load shedding.
The Vice President says this is despite the country receiving adequate rains in some parts such as North-Western Province.
Ms. Wina says the Zambezi River Authority will advice both Zambia and Zimbabwe as the two countries share the Kariba dam.
She also pointed out that the country should be aware that experts have advised that the Kariba dam will require three good rainy seasons for the water to reach its optimum levels.
The Vice President was answering a question from Kalomo MP Request Muntanga who wanted to know why there is still massive load shedding when water in Kariba dam has reached the required levels.
And Vice President Inonge Wina says the country’s maize reserves are adequate to last up to August 2016.
The Vice President says President Edgar Lungu has however indicated that Government is monitoring the situation and that should there be need to import maize the country is ready to undertake the exercise.
Mrs Wina says there are no conflicting statements coming from Government on the country’s maize stock.
This was in response to a question raised by Mumbwa Member of Parliament Brian Chituwo during the Vice President 30 minutes question time.
Brigadier General Chituwo wanted the Vice President to clarify conflicting statement on maize in the country.
And the Vice President said government machinery is moving on well and adequately funded.
Mrs Wina however, said there is need for people to note that Government has diverted a lot of funds to importing electricity, an expense that was not budgeted for.
She pointed out that Government is not broke as all projects are adequately funded.
Mrs Wina was responding to a question from Monze MP, Jack Mwiimbu who asked the Vice President if Government was broke and that is why it has not funded the Electoral Commission of Zambia.
The water levels in the Kariba Dam has risen to capacity… what more else do you want kanshi imwe bamambala….. Why should we wait for three rainy seasons when the Dam is already full…. I heard that they are now saying amensi nayakwata sana amatipa
KARIBA DAM IS FULL THESE CHAPS ARE PLAYING WITH OUR MINDS
how do you expect Madam some one to understand when he has no grade 12 certificates to understand the basics principals of electricity. this Tonga MP most them they are very dull: just like bashalila ngamato
i think its not at full capacity it might be 60% full but it has to last us a year and remember GRZ always twists words i doubt its even at 50% full that is why the load shedding will continue until the solar and coal projects come online
shame there is no hydro or dams in the northern province they always have rain
“Wina noted. …government has diverted a lot of funds….”
Yes, we know PF Government has diverted a lot of funds. Can you please account for these “diversions” ??? We want to know exactly how much, when and where they WERE DIVERTED!
Or is this donchi kabeba on public money to hide MASSIVE THEFT?
OBSERVATION – THE WESTERN PROVINCE CANAL GOING TO SOUTHERN ANGOLA WHICH IS A DESERT COULD BE DRAINING WATER FROM ZAMBEZI RIVER. NOT ONLY THAT DEMAND OF WATER IN ANGOLA COULD BE VERY HIGH BEING A DESERT AREA.
-IS THIS A TECHNICAL ADVICE ON KARIBA DAM WALL?
#WHAT IS THE LATEST APPROACH TO THE CRACKS OF WALL.
WHEN ARE THEY STARTING THE WORKS?
I THOUGHT IT COULD BE GUD TO DO IT NOW WHEN WATER IS STILL NATURELY LOW.
OTHERWISE WATER MAY BE EXPELLED DURING MAINTAINANCE WORKS.
This is the advantage of experience because some of us have been there before. Sometime back it took 10 years to fill the Kariba Lake, which led to one developer, a certain Lishomwa, to build a beautiful house within the shoreline of the reservoir. Eventually the reservoir filled up and the house was completely submerged. Ask him. He is still alive, I believe. You can not fill the Kariba Lake with a capacity of 185 cubic kilometres in one season even with a good rainy season. Even the much smaller lake, the Itezhitezhi Lake with a capacity of 6 cubic kilometres cannot be filled in one season. This country will never develop if technical issues are explained in terms of politics because an individual does not like the party in government.
The concept of a dam is to store water from wet years which would otherwise go to the sea so that you can use it in dry years to generate power. Where there is no dam constructed these hydropower projects are called run-of-the-river projects and stop generating power when the water runs low. At one time the water flow in Kafue River as measured at Kafue Bridge fell to 6m3/s and yet the machines at Kafue Gorge require about 200m3/s. The additional water required was drawn from the storage reservoir at Itezhitezhi.
Well Honourable VP, you can pee in Kariba Dam and bring it up to the level ZESCO wants. Bring along all your relatives and have a good time taking turns in peeing in Kariba dam. Such a JOY!