WITH the water level at Kariba Dam dropping to just 2.98 metres above the minimum level for generation of electricity, experts say daily load-shedding should be at eight hours every day. Zesco, the power utility, says it has to maintain the daily load-shedding schedule at eight hours to sustain the current low water levels at Kariba Dam up to December this year.\

Station manager Edward Simbaya said failure to reduce power supply would lead to shutting down Kariba North Bank power station. He said as of yesterday, the water level in the dam was at 478.48 metres above sea level. “The normal maximum retention level in the lake is supposed to be 488.5 metres above sea level and the minimum at 475.5 metres. “Below 475.5 metres, we cannot use the water for power generation even if people can see water in the lake,” he said. Mr Simbaya said the water level will continue dropping, hence the need to increase load-shedding hours from four to eight hours a day.

He was speaking when Zambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ZACCI) officials visited Kariba yesterday to get first-hand information on the water levels at the dam. “Out of the six units with a capacity to produce 1,080 megawatts, we are only supposed to generate 352 megawatts because of low water levels. If we don’t do this, we may end up shutting the power plant by December this year,” he said. Mr Simbaya said only three out of the six power generation plants at the dam are operating due to low water levels.

He said operations of the three plants have to be sustained by load-shedding so that Kariba North Bank power station is not shut by December. Mr Simbaya said Zesco should introduce an alternative power generating machine during peak hours to suppress the demand. He said water levels at the dam normally start stabilising between January and February. Mr Simbaya said in 2018, the water level at Kariba Dam was at 486.90 metres above sea level and that there has not been any rise this year. He said hydro-power stations in areas which had good rainfall are operating well, especially in the northern part of the country. Mr Simbaya said it will take about two to three years for Lake Kariba to reach its highest level of water if rains are good. “The other project we can focus on to change the situation is the Batoka Gorge. They (Batoka and Kariba) can be operated at different times; one during the dry season and the other in the rainy season.

Demand for power has increased due to various development projects and domestic use, so we need to increase generation,” he said. Mr Simbaya was responding to ZACCI committee member Simomo Akapelwa, who wanted to know how long it will take for the lake to have the highest water level. ZCCI board member Alexander Lawrence said the chamber was visiting the dam to appreciate the challenges and offer solutions where possible. Mr Lawrence urged other institutions to visit Kariba Dam and understand what is causing load-shedding, which has affected production in industries. “We are concerned about what is happening in the energy sector. Most of our members are complaining about low production levels in the mines and other industries. “We are here to understand the problem and see how we can contribute to finding solutions,” he said.