ZRA successfully completes quality checks on Kariba Dam Gate 1

Harmony Agere

THE Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) has successfully completed quality checks on floodgate 1 of the Kariba Dam, marking another milestone in the ongoing Kariba Dam Rehabilitation Programme.

ZRA Planning Officer, Engineer Munesushe Mudzi, confirmed that the checks form part of the commissioning phase of the rehabilitation project.

“We have done a test for source number 1, which is gate number 1,” he said.

“Previously, we did for gate number 2, so today we have done the test for gate number 1 and we have used about 1,500 cubic metres of water as well, which is equivalent to the power which is generated for about 30 seconds.

“And this is not spilling, what we are just doing is doing the quality checks for the activities that we have been doing for the past 5 years. And it’s part of the quality checks that we do in the commissioning process that we are doing on the KDRP.”

The Kariba Dam Rehabilitation Programme has been underway for several years, aimed at ensuring the long-term stability and operational efficiency of the dam.

Work started in 2019, and ZRA engineers are checking for quality and the possibility of any leaks by releasing amounts of water equivalent to that used to turn a turbine during power generation.