BMI, a research firm that provides macroeconomic, industry and financial market analysis, says hydro-power generation will help address the power deficit the country has been experiencing.
Zambezi River Authority reported last week that water levels at the lake rose by 0.26m representing a steady climb of 26 percent.
The authority also said the Lake closed the week at 479.15m on February 9 in comparison to last year on the same date, when the lake level was 477.19m representing a 12 percent rise.
Lake Kariba was created and designed to operate between levels of 475.50m and 488.50m with 0.70m freeboard at all times.
“Low rainfall was the reason why dam levels plummeted contributing to power woes. However, despite the above normal rainfall on the back of La Niña effects during the 2016/2017 season, water levels at Kariba have started to climb steadily to 26 percent (479m levels) compared to 12 percent as at February 9 this year,” BMI has observed.
It says 2015 and 2016 were characterised by El Niño weather that caused drought that resulted in low crop yields in Africa despite Zambia recording bumper harvests.
Meanwhile, BMI says crops were at risk due to armyworm infestation (which has since been contained) is among the downsides of the rainy season which the country is experiencing.
It says despite the challenges, Zambia, however, still projects another bumper harvest this year.
“The country has undertaken a robust agriculture diversification programme for 2017 with US$45million injection into its cashewnut industry to reduce dependency on maize only,” BMI notes.
We have granted devil’s charmer’s wish, we are still peeing into that dam, katuya nobasankwa utayandi achileke, nochilema tulachibweza basa! just watch the space.
Don’t be surprised by PF bandits of visionless Lungu after failing to end load shedding when they start yapping about drought or global. No excuse for load shedding tears. Zambia has more than enough rains to stop load shedding.
Not surprising, PF to find any illogical excuse for their pathetic failures~economy~global, load shedding~global, expensive mealie meal~global m~ everything else is global. PF is poverty first.
The Skeleton Key
~206~
This pisses me off how many times have I asked reporters to simply check the KRA website to report on Kariba water levels and you had to still wait for BMI an international organisation to give you this data even when it’s in your own backyard..we are truly so messed up. Disappointed with lusaka times….KRA website even has a comparative graph with previous years water levels
imwe mwebantu u complain about low water levels are you forgetting when you are hangover you drink a lot of water. after drinking jameson every day chi Edgar mwine wamoba Lungu goes to Siavonga to drink the water causing load shedding viva UPND…when we won elections rain came as a blessing under pf rain is a curse look at floods, ati (Army) worms this was bound to happen as punishment imwe ba chimbwe u voted soon we will have K1000000 notes like uncle Gubby in Zimbabwe mwanya
you wish brah
Tila chizule
Kikiki, Tata Leza tila chizule, chipumupumu chi dam. Kikiki, yaba musama you have made my weekend.
Collecting water in a Dam is like receiving money into an account in a Bank. It is only half the story.
How it is utilized is the other half of the story. So, the question is: – how efficient are those turbines? And just how much water flows past the Dam wall WITHOUT pushing or even touching a turbine blade?
Chotuyandila chi dam chizule, so that we see how the euro bond has been utilized.
Who is BMI from where. Cashew nuts agaun .cashew nuts take 4 to 5 years before a return on investment. And these farmers will live on what.. is there a marketing chain in place to sell the cashews.” Despite the abnormal rain ( plenty) caused by la nina the dam ks filling. Of course it will fill if there is extra rain…. you dont have to be a BMI rrepresentative to state the obvious..
LT why this report
Look even an uneducated kid from mumbwa mumbwa knows by now that the issues of loadshedding have nothing to do with water levels. Rather they have everything to do with pf officials and lungu having only water in their heads. Very thick chaps who have failed to manage this small economy
Have you repaired the undermined and cracked dam wall? Learn from what is happening in California!
My kaonde brothers would say fintu fyapantakana mwinsho, let’s see how far their bufi, kubeja, boza will take them.
Imagine the whole country depending on rainfull for its energy when you have 365 days of sunshine…Provinces like Easter Province, Western, Luapula with less energy demands should have been detached from the Grid and supplied by Solar farms and separate from incompetent ZESCO.
In 2015 we prayed in unison for both bumper harvest and rains during time of drought in region and the LORD opened up the heavens for Zambia. We corporately prayed again in 2016 for good rains & prosperity of our social & political economy & the LORD is answering again. What an awesome God we serve! The article is just a report that the LORD is working. 2017 will be a great year for Zambia. The future of the country is bright as long as we don’t lose track & stop worshipping the God of this country. God Bless Zambia
Jay jay, before you’re go ballistic abt those alternative energy sources, have you bothered to find out what it costs to put up just a domestic solar arrangement to provide you with say a10000 LTS of water, power a hotplate, some lighting, not to mention a bit of welding and so forth, which you would expect on a basic productive homestead. You will discover how prohibitive it is.