Share & more
Zambia has opened the spillway gates of its bulging Kariba dam - a source of power for both Zambia and Zimbabwe - threatening to further flood an already devastated Mozambique, Reuters reported on Monday. Some of the water would end up in Mozambique's Cahora-Bassa Dam, which is already overflowing, added the report.
The surplus water - the result of torrential rains over southern Africa in the past month - was coursing down the Zambezi River, putting the Mozambique villages near the border areas of Luangwa and Katondwe in danger.
"Because of heavy rains in Botswana and Zimbabwe, the upper catchments near the dam have been flooded and the dam itself is full beyond its acceptable capacity," a spokesman for the Zambezi River Authority was quoted as saying. The spokesman added that the gates will be kept open until the authority's
engineers were satisfied that the dam faces no more danger.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions