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Trust Freddy
Herald Correspondent
Work on the US$294,2 million Kariba Dam Rehabilitation Project (KDRP) is progressing well and now at 67 percent complete, the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) has said.
The project, which consists of the institutional strengthening, spillway upstream control facility renovation, and reshaping of the plunge pool, is anticipated to be finished by the first quarter of 2025.
Upon completion of the multimillion-dollar project, communities in both Zambia and Zimbabwe stand to gain from a safer and more dependable control of flood flows since it will prevent the dam wall from being overtopped.
ZRA, a binational organisation that manages the dam on behalf of the Governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe, said recently remarkable progress has been made on the plunge pool reshaping works.
“The plunge pool reshaping works contract, which is being undertaken by Razel Bec (a French company), commenced in May 2017. Works on this component are now 78 percent complete. The target date for completion of the plunge pool reshaping works is during the second quarter of 2024,” reads part of the statement.
“In total, 680 million litres of water have been pumped out of the plunge pool, leaving the current water level in the pool at 320m above sea level.
“Pumping out of the water, with the resulting lowering of the pool level, paved the way for the excavation works using controlled blasting of the exposed rock.” The project is being jointly funded through grants and loans made available to the Zambian and the Zimbabwean Governments by the African Development Bank; the European Union; the Government of Sweden and the World Bank.
The Authority also contributes counterpart funds on behalf of the Governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe.
“To date, approximately 137 000 cubic metres of rock has been excavated, out of a total of 300,000 cubic metres.
“The objective of the excavation is to widen the Plunge Pool in keeping with the technical design,” ZRA said.
According to ZRA, the contractor’s current focus is on bulk excavation of the rock mass around the plunge pool and haulage and disposal of the excavated rock at the designated dumpsite as well as fault treatment.
Furthermore, ZRA said works on Spillway Refurbishment which commenced in November 2019 were progressing well.
“The status of the project is that the works are at 57 percent complete. The target date for completion of the Spillway Refurbishment works is during the first quarter of 2025.
According to ZRA, plans are also progressing as expected for the replacement of faulty guide rails on the upstream spillway control facility to enhance the performance of the six sluice gates.
“At this stage, the works are proceeding as planned with the Contractor focusing on the following activities: Hydro-demolition of the secondary concrete around the old Built-in-Parts (BIPs) upstream of the Sluices.
“Concreting of BIPs in Sluices number 2 and Repair of surface cracks on the downstream end of sluice Number 3 4. Finalisation of the manufacture of the Emergency Gate (in China) and the Gantry Crane (in South Africa).”
The overarching objective of the KDRP is to ensure the continued structural integrity of the Kariba Dam wall.
This will also minimise the risks of unregulated releases of water which could flood the downstream communities, resulting in damage to property and considerable loss of lives, under worst case scenarios.
Furthermore, a structurally sound dam facilitates the continued sustainable management of the impounded water to ensure continued availability of water for hydropower generation which is a critical cog in the socio-economic development of the Contracting States.
Recently, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) suspended the use of Kariba Border Post as a port of entry indefinitely and redirected all services to Chirundu One Stop Border Post in order to pave the way for the ongoing renovation work being done to the Kariba dam wall.
Online Reporter