ZRA addresses El-Nino induced drought 

Caroline Mutsawu in Zambia

The 42nd Council of Meetings (COM) held in Zambia tackled the alarming consequences of the El-Nino induced drought, which ravaged the Southern region from 2023 to 2024, resulting in a drastic decline in rainfall across Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Regional stakeholders gathered in Livingstone on Friday for the crucial meeting which focused on the Zambezi River Authority’s (ZRA) progress, challenges, strategic developments, as well as those of its associated agencies.

Minister of Energy and Power Development, Edgar Moyo, noted that the meeting marked a significant milestone, as it was the last meeting held during the 2020/2024 Corporate Strategy for the Authority. He made these remarks ahead of handing over the chairmanship of the COM to Zambian Minister of Energy, Makozo Chikote

“This Council of Ministers’ meeting marks a significant milestone, as it is the last meeting being held at a time when the 2020 to 2024 Corporate Strategy for the Authority comes to an end,” said Minister Moyo.

“The execution of the 2020/2024 Corporate Strategy faced considerable challenges. As Zambia and Zimbabwe were still grappling with the pandemic’s effects, the two nations encountered one of the worst El Niño-induced droughts in recorded history between 2023 and 2024,” he said.

The drought severely impacted the Kariba reservoir, resulting in the third lowest inflows in the dam’s 60 year history. Minister Moyo revealed that a total water allocation of 16 billion cubic meters was shared equally between ZESCO Limited and the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) for power generation.

“In 2024, a total water allocation of 16 billion cubic meters was shared equally between ZESCO Limited and the (ZPC) for power generation. This allocation was based on hydrological forecasts predicting below normal rainfall. Unfortunately, the 2023/2024 rainfall season confirmed these forecasts, with gross inflows projected at approximately 19.5 billion cubic meters, a 61% decline compared to the long term average. This poses a significant challenge for sustainable water management,” said Minister Moyo.

However, Zambian Minister, Chikote highlighted the resilience of the two countries in partnership, despite being severely tested by the devastating El Niño induced drought.

“The achievements recorded under the 2020/2024 strategic period, despite the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and climate-induced droughts, underscore the strength of our partnership. Notable initiatives, such as the Kariba Dam rehabilitation project and advancements in renewable energy, including the proposed floating solar photovoltaic plant, demonstrate our unwavering commitment to innovative and sustainable energy solutions,” said Minister Chikote.

Minister Moyo concurred with his counterpart that collaborative efforts between the ZRA, ZESCO Limited, and ZPC have successfully regulated the Kariba Reservoir, despite the severe challenges posed by the El-Nino induced drought through weekly Joint Technical Committee meetings.

In October, the two countries held the emergency (CoM) meeting with the aim to prevent a total system loss in both countries. Minister Moyo’s statement followed a recent total blackout affecting Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, and Mozambique, with the root cause still under investigation.

He urged affected countries to preserve water as it is at critically low levels, the utilities must exercise discipline in their water usage to avoid total system loss and ensure power supply security and economic stability in the region.

” It is our expectation that the two Utilities, though under pressure to meet the demand, need to exercise discipline in the utilization of the water allocated to them by ZRA. Our water levels are critically low and Utilities need to remain true to their commitments made in our emergency CoM meeting held in October 2024 to avoid total system loss in our two countries ,” said Minister Moyo.

The Authority allocated 27 billion cubic meters for 2025, split equally between ZESCO Limited and ZPC. This allocation will be reviewed at the end of the first quarter of 2025.