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Batoka Gorge Dam

Dam proposal threatens white-water rafting on the Zambezi

Batoka Gorge below Victoria Falls

The Batoka Gorge can be seen zig-zagging below the Victoria Falls

Author: Pete Roberts - September 2012

Earlier this year it was announced that the governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe had signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding resurrecting the long proposed Batoka Hydro Power Station development.

The construction of a hydroelectric facility in the Batoka Gorge on the Zambezi River below the Victoria Falls was originally proposed in 1993. Proposals at the time showed that the resulting lake would flood a section of the Zambezi River for some 50 kilometres below the Victoria Falls, drowning one of the most highly regarded sections of commercially operated white-water rafting in the world under its waters.

The announcement came soon after Zimbabwe had agreed payment of over $70 million to Zambia in settlement of outstanding debts relating to the division and sale of joint assets following the break up of the short-lived Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, which united what is now Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi (the Federation was established in 1953 and lasted only ten years). The settlement of this debt had, until now, been a stumbling block to the development of the Batoka Gorge Dam project.

The project proposes to develop a hydroelectric dam facility in the Batoka Gorge at the Moemba Falls, some 50 kilometres downstream from the Victoria Falls. Previous feasibility studies have suggested a 196 metre high dam would flood the river and gorges upstream almost to the foot of the Victoria Falls, producing a lake some 50 kilometres in length.

The development potentially threatens to flood the river rapids currently used for white-water rafting day and multi-day trips, widely recognised as the best commercially operated white-water rapids in the world and a major tourism attraction for Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Livingstone in Zambia.

The Batoka Gorge itself is listed as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International on the basis of its conservation importance. The taita falcon, a small, agile and endangered species breeds here, as do many other rare birds of prey, such as Verraux’s eagle (previously know as the black eagle), lanner and peregrine falcon.

Taita Falcon Victoria falls

Taita Falcon- Falco fasciinucha

However Zimbabwe suffers from a chronic power deficit and desperately needs to boost power generating facilities within the country. It currently imports approximately a third of its needs from neighbouring countries, and a wider power deficit is expected to grow across the region in the next few years, affecting the long term availability of these energy imports.

The proposed hydro power station will supply 1,650 MW of power, to be shared equally between the two countries. It is also believed that the project could also enhance generating capacity at Kariba power station, downstream of the Batoka Gorge Dam site, by a further 300 MW.

However there are concerns that local communities will see little of the benefits of the development, with fears of negative impacts on long term tourism and employment opportunities. It is thought that the narrow deep-water nature of the resulting lake will not sustain large fish populations, as has happened with the wide and shallow Lake Kariba, where a thriving fishing industry has developed.

The local mains electricity network is also unlikely to be developed, and it is thought many rural communities will continue to be isolated from the national electrical supply.

The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA), a joint body representing the two countries, is currently pressing ahead with the commissioning of feasibility studies for the environmental and social impact of the 1,600-MW Batoka Gorge project and has applied for US$3 billion of World Bank funding for the project.


Have your say about the proposed Batoka Gorge Dam Development

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Two sides to every story-an ecological engineers prospectivive 
It’s so easy to type on a computer to say no to this project. As a river engineering specialist, Who has written and contributed to dozens of environmental …

Zimbabwe needs more power and Batoka can provide that 
This dam would produce clean energy which is were the world is heading right now so I think it would be a good move but there is the damaging of the environment …

VIDEO DOCUMENTARY ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF PROPOSED BATOKA HYDRO-POWER PROJECT 
Fellow environmentalists - I am an environmental Journalists in Zambia who has been campaigning against this project for some time and am based in Livingstone, …

It's happening in Uganda as well 
I don't have the full details, but it's happening in Uganda as well Hydroelectric scheme threatens iconic Falls - Article by SA Tourism Update

Solar or other renewable energy a better option 
I don't think that they should do this simply because they could use the money that they are planning to spend on this dam for other renewable energy sources …

Dam is harmful 
Dam will damage fishing ,bird life , white water rafting with no benefits to local people

Gorge saver 
The batoka gorge is one of the few gorges on Earth that hasn't been touched by human development , and it's idea of power for people is unlikely, more …

Business men 
IF YOU DON'T DO NOW YOU WILL DO IT ON FUTURE BUT COST WILL BE TRIPLE SO THINK AGAIN THE WAY I KNOW ZAMBIA IS GROWING FAST THAN EVER BEFORE. IF U SEE THE …

Professor  
My view is that $3billion loan from the World Bank that will not give rural populations access to reliable and reasonably priced (i.e. affordable) electricity …

WE DON'T NEED DAMS 
I have to say why are these people even building dams. Just because they want power? There destroying nature. We don't need dams. they hurt the animals, …

Mr. Gordon V. Smith 
Please preserve the mighty Zambezi River for future generations. Building a hydro-electric dam in the Batoka Gorge would be devastating to the environment, …

Zambezi Rafting Has Far Reaching Economic Impact 
For those folks who think that the loss of one of the greatest white water rafting experiences in the world will simply put a few companies out of business …

Insane 
Why build a dam that will not reach any sort of generous capacity when we have the best thing in the world for generating power - at least 320 days of …

Returning to the Zambezi After 20 Years 
It’s been 20 years to the month since I was last bobbing down the swift current of the Zambezi River. The rafting companies that earned a living plying …

No more dams save land 
Zesa,s way out of their situation is promoting more dams.disasterous for rivers and game. I led an 8 man team to investigate Zesa. The chairman of Eskom …

NO NO NO NO! 
Its pretty simple... do not do it. There are other methods...

Batoka Gorge Dam Developments 
In September 2012 plans for the proposed Batoka Gorge Dam and Mphanda Nkuwa Dam (Mozambique) were criticised by an American hydrologist for being based …

SAVE THE ZAMBEZI RIVER 
I worked on the Zambezi River, both above and below Victoria Falls, for a decade. The thought of losing the greatest commercially navigable stretch of …

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