Dam water levels rising

Harare(New Ziana)-Average dam water levels have risen to 50.4 percent from 49.7 percent recorded during the beginning of the week after most dams recorded gains from the ongoing wet spell being experienced in different parts of the country,the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) said on Thursday.

In an update, ZINWA said water levels in the country’s major dams were rising due to continued inflows.

“Dams have started to positively respond to rains being received countrywide. The national dam level average has risen to 50.4 percent from 49.7 percent on Monday,” the authority said.

“The national dam average is however lower than the 69 percent normally expected during this time of the year,” it added.

The statistics show that water levels in main dams are rising, albeit slowly.

Harare’s Chivero dam is 57.2 percent full while the city’s other source of water, Manyame dam currently stands at 73.4 percent full.

In Masvingo province, Tugwi-Mukosi dam is 38.5 percent full, Mutirikwi 37.6 percent and Runde 40.8 percent full.

Dams in the Matebeleland region have however remained stressed with Upper Ncema now at 2.4 percent while Lower Ncema is 10.1 percent full.

According to the Meteorological Services Department, most parts of Zimbabwe have received considerable rains over the past few days, with areas such as Chisengu and Chimanimani in Manicaland province recording 180 mm and 109 mm of rainfall in 24 hours respectively.

The department has predicted that the rains will persist.

“Torrential rain and flash flooding is expected in localised areas and downstream flooding is also a potential hazard,” it said in a weather forecast on Wednesday.

The persistent rains are a great relief to Zimbabweans as they grappling with shortages of electricity due to reduced generating capacity at Kariba Dam whose water levels are too low owing to drought experienced last year.

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