Gwayi
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Gwayi Gwai, Gwaai |
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 The catchment area of the Gwayi |
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| Data | ||
| location |
 Zimbabwe
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|
| River system | Zambezi | |
| Drain over | Zambezi → Strait of Mozambique | |
| source | 40 km southwest of Bulawayo 20 ° 23 ′ 50 ″ S , 28 ° 18 ′ 32 ″ E |
|
| Source height | 1390 m | |
| muzzle | at Mongu in the Zambezi Coordinates: 17 ° 58 ′ 39 ″ S , 26 ° 55 ′ 22 ″ E 17 ° 58 ′ 39 ″ S , 26 ° 55 ′ 22 ″ E |
|
| Mouth height | 489 m | |
| Height difference | 901 m | |
| Bottom slope | 2 ‰ | |
| length | over 450 km | |
| Catchment area | about 40,000 km² (without Sengwa , Deka and Okavango tributaries) | |
| Discharge at level 1491200 Kamativi A Eo : 38,600 km² Location: 60 km above the mouth |
MNQ MQ Mq MHQ HHQ |
0 l / s 84 m³ / s 2.2 l / (s km²) 198 m³ / s 575 m³ / s |
| Left tributaries | Lukosi | |
| Right tributaries | Shangani , Mbembesi | |
| Residents in the catchment area | 122,000 (as of 2005-06) | |
The Gwayi is a tributary of the Zambezi in North Matabeleland , Zimbabwe .
course
The river rises about 40 km southwest of Bulawayo in the province of Matabeleland South on the border with the province of Matabeleland North. It flows north through Lupane and further northwest through the place Dahlia . Behind Dahlia it takes up the waters of the Shangani , flows past Kamativi , and flows into the Zambezi about 30 km further . The gwayi is about 300 km long. It carries water depending on the rain, but keeps it long in the shallows of its bed.
Hydrology
The flow rate of the river was measured about 60 km before the mouth in Kamativi in the majority of the catchment area (excluding Lukosi) in m³ / s.
ecology
The Gwayi is especially known for its wildlife breeding in its valley near Dahlia. Since almost no agriculture is possible in the semi-arid surrounding area, wild animal breeding was one of the few solid sources of income and future prospects for hunting tourism. Many of these businesses have since been expropriated. Soldiers shot down the edible animals and reduced them to 20% of their previous population. Big cats and elephants leave their enclosures for this. They are marauding in the villages because the water points in the valley are no longer being refilled.
Wild settlers wash gold at various points along the river.
Gwayi-Shangani dam project
The Gwayi-Shangani Dam is currently under construction, at the confluence of the Gwayi and the Shangani. When completed, the dam will have a height of 72 m and the resulting lake will have a capacity of 635 million m³. It will be the third largest body of water in Zimbabwe after the Tugwi Mukosi Dam and Lake Mutirikwi . The project should be completed in December 2020. The basic idea for such a project was already conceived in 1912. In addition to the energy supply, the project should ensure the drinking water supply for the city of Bulawayo.
Catchment area
In some sources, the catchment area is referred to as the Gwayi-Shangani catchment. Accordingly, the Gwayi is not the main river in all springs, but also the Shangani.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Soviet General Staff Map , accessed via http://loadmap.net/
- ^ Impact of climate change on Hydro-Electric Generation in the Zambezi basin
- ^ The Zambezi River Basin - A Multi-Sector Investment Opportunities Analysis - Volume 3 State of the Basin
- ^ Impact of climate change on Hydro-Electric Generation in the Zambezi basin
- ^ The Zambezi River Basin - A Multi-Sector Investment Opportunities Analysis - Volume 4 Modeling, Analysis and Input Data
- ↑ SIEREM measured values
- ^ Gwayi-Shangani Dam to be third largest countrywide
- ↑ Gwayi-Shangani dam completion set for 2020