Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve-Victoria Falls Writer
THE Government and the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) have assured the public that the Batoka Gorge Hydroelectric Power Scheme (BGHES) will not impact the majesty or flow of the Victoria Falls, a natural wonder of the world and a critical national heritage asset.
The guarantees came during a high-level tour of the project site on Wednesday, led by the Minister of Energy and Power Development, who is also the chairman of the ZRA Council of Ministers, Cde July Moyo.
The visit underscored the project’s dual aims, which are to secure Zimbabwe and Zambia’s energy future while preserving an irreplaceable natural treasure.
Minister Moyo directly addressed long-standing public and international concerns, emphasising the project’s careful design.
“The environmental impact assessment, fortunately for this project, shows nobody is going to be displaced. All the water that will drive the power generation is contained within the gorge, and it will not even disturb the flow of the Victoria Falls because it is five kilometres away from the high point of this project,” he said.
Beyond environmental safeguarding, Minister Moyo described the bilateral project as a cornerstone for local economic empowerment, particularly for Matabeleland North Province.
He said that the mistakes of past developments, which sometimes marginalised nearby communities, would not be repeated.
“Now the community around here obviously will benefit from the works that are going to take place here; they will benefit from the roads, the infrastructure that is going to be built,” Minister Moyo said.
He drew a clear line from past shortcomings.
“I think we are not going to repeat what was done in Kariba. That is why we are trying to correct some of the issues by putting projects in Kariba, in Binga, Zambia, we isolated some districts that were supposed to benefit,” he said.
“But with this, we think that our President’s wish of leaving no one and no place behind will be realised. The people in Hwange and the people in Matabeleland North will benefit.”
Technical details supporting the Minister’s assurances were provided by the Batoka Gorge Hydroelectric Scheme Project Manager, Engineer Patrick Sipatela.
He explained that the dam’s design was fundamentally shaped by the imperative to protect the Victoria Falls World Heritage Site’s outstanding universal value.
“The Batoka Gorge Hydroelectric Scheme has been designed with a lot of care,” Eng Sipatela said.
He said the project has incorporated engineering compromise, saying that while the natural cliffs rise about 300 metres, the dam wall has been optimally set at 175 metres.
“So, we will leave a certain level of the gorges not occupied by the water. The particular reservoir is going to be contained fully within the gorges,” he said.
He confirmed the critical buffer zone.
“The falling curtain of Victoria Falls is about five kilometres away. So, it will not be affected in any way because of the care that we have put into this particular project,” he said.
The 2 400MW scheme, a 50/50 venture between Zimbabwe and Zambia, is set to be a game-changer for the region’s power deficit.
The reassurances from both political and technical leadership are seen as vital to securing continued international stakeholder confidence and maintaining the pride of place the Falls hold for the nation and the world.
