World's Biggest Dam Has ‘Extremely Dangerous’ Low Water Levels
- Zambia may have to halt electricity generation at Kariba
- Country depends on hydro power for more than 95% of supplies
The Kariba Dam between Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Photographer: Jekesai Njikizana/AFP via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Water levels at Kariba dam, the world’s largest, are at “extremely dangerous” lows that could force a shutdown of its hydro power plants, said Zambian Energy Minister Dora Siliya.
Poor rainfall and overuse of water by Zambia and Zimbabwe, the southern African countries that share the reservoir, have caused its levels to drop, with electricity generation already reduced by more than half. As of Dec. 28, Kariba was 14 percent full, compared with 51 percent a year earlier, according to the dam’s regulator.