Zambezi River Authority

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The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA, German: "Zambezi River Authority") is a binational authority of the states of Zambia and Zimbabwe for the water and energy management of the Zambezi . It was created on October 1, 1987 for the purpose of resuming cooperation in the energy sector and with continued use of the existing generation and network infrastructure by the Central African Power Corporation (CAPCO) founded in 1963 . The administrative headquarters are in Lusaka (Zambia), further administrative locations in Harare and Kariba .

Both states provide equal shares for the expenses of the Zambezi River Authority and have put it in an institutionally and financially independent position. This reduces the influence of technically relevant state institutions, especially the water authorities. With the establishment of the ZRA, the power generation plants and regional networks came back into the responsibility of the respective national companies. The financial earnings base of ZRA has been based since 1999 on the sales proceeds of the volume of water used by the respective national electricity producers, which is used to drive the turbines in their power plants. Zambia has the facilities on the North Bank (6 x 180 MW , together 1080 MW) and Zimbabwe on the South Bank (6 x 125 MW, together 750 MW).

As a result of the reorganization in the energy sector in Zambia and Zimbabwe, the ZRA is now concentrating only on the operation and maintenance of the Kariba Dam and initiating investigations and development work on new dam sites on the Zambezi. In addition, she is responsible for the analysis and publication of hydrological and environmental information about the Zambezi and the Kariba Sea.

history

The Zambezi River Basin

The cooperation between the two now independent states goes back to initiatives from the late phase of British colonial rule in 1951, when the Central African Council (the government of the Federal Government of Rhodesia and Nyasaland ) established the Inter-Territorial Hydro-Electric Commission (German: "Interterritorial Hydropower Commission") was entrusted with the preparatory work for the construction of the Kariba dam. The Hydro-Electric Power Act (German about: "Wasserkraftgesetz") of June 1954 created the basis for the establishment of the Federal Hydro-Electric Board (German about: "Federal Directorate for Hydropower"). In May 1956, the Electricity Act (German: Electricity Act ) set up the joint Federal Power Board (German: "Federal Energy Directorate") for the two colonies at that time ; it replaced the Federal Hydro-Electric Board .

When the federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland ended in 1963 , the previous network of power plants, transmission lines and administrations for energy generation and transmission network capacities remained. The Central African Power Corporation (CAPCO) has now become a joint body of the former governments of Northern and Southern Rhodesia . It was endowed with the assets and contractual powers of the Federal Power Board .

However, the energy policy of the two countries required independent country-specific action and the associated unbundling of the energy sector. Zambia and Zimbabwe simultaneously enacted their Zambezi River Authority Act to establish the ZRA in 1987 , thereby dissolving the CAPCO.

In 2019, after almost 60 years of operation, a comprehensive renovation of the Kariba dams began. The Kariba Dam Rehabilitation Project (KDRP) launched for this purpose provides for renovation and stabilization work on the stilling basin below and the overflow opening ( spillway ) with six sluices in the dam wall . The preliminary planning for this began years earlier and in 2014 it became known that funding from the African Development Bank , the European Union , the Swedish Embassy in Zambia and the World Bank had been promised. The erosion of the rock walls in the stilling basin by the water falling from above is low, but stabilization of the 81 meter deep basin was recommended as a precautionary measure.

management

The authority is managed from three levels, which should enable political and technical control.

  • Council of Ministers (COM), four members, represented equally by the states with the respective energy and finance ministers,
  • Board of Directors , six members, equally staffed by the states with two State Secretaries each, who are responsible for energy and finance in their portfolio, as well as one named independent member each,
  • Executive management .

meaning

Zambia is particularly hard hit by the Zambezi River Basin, where most of the country's population lives. But there is also a common border with Zimbabwe, which runs for about 750 kilometers in the Zambezi. This means there are no upstream and downstream problems. Overall, the practice of the ZRA is considered successful.

Environmental tasks

The environmental monitoring program of the Authority ( Environmental Monitoring Program , EMP) includes monthly, quarterly and semi-annual sampling of the waters of the Zambezi and its tributaries. The focus is on the control of water quality and monitoring of vegetation with aquatic plants ( water hyacinth ). At all measuring points on the Karibastausee and on the Zambezi, data on water quality are collected and processed. The chemical-physical and bacteriological monitoring takes place at these points and in the agency's laboratory facilities. The measured parameters include alkalinity , ammonia content , chlorophyll content , coliform bacteria , electrical conductivity , dissolved oxygen , pH value , substances dissolved in water, suspension load and turbidity, temperature as well as total and orthophosphate contents . The standards of the ZRA and its cooperation partners apply to water monitoring. The vegetation on the Kariba Lake is monitored through physical and biological observation as well as through evaluations using satellite photography . The spatial variability of the water quality parameters and the spread of plants in the lake is evaluated using GIS and remote sensing methods.

Projects

The projects include several projects, the most important of which are:

  • Batoka HES Project or Batoka Hydro-electric Scheme (HES), approximately 54 kilometers downstream from Victoria Falls . The CAPCO had been doing preparatory work for this project since 1972. The interests of both countries in implementing the project differ. For Zimbabwe, the commissioning would mean a significant improvement in the country's water and energy supply.

The other two projects have so far only achieved a poorly developed status:

  • Devils' Gorge Hydroelectric Scheme ,
  • Mupata Gorge Hydroelectric Scheme .

Zambezi Valley Development Fund

The Zambezi Valley Development Fund (ZVDF) is a foundation established by the authority in 1997 to implement sustainable projects, which primarily aim to compensate the Tonga / KoreKore groups displaced on both sides of the Zambezi during the construction of the Kariba Dam .

The focus is on the following activities:

  • Construction of mills,
  • Drilling of boreholes,
  • Construction of schools and houses for staff at the respective project locations,
  • Construction and rehabilitation of irrigation systems,
  • Provision of medical equipment.

Web links

  • Zambezi River Authority: Website . at www.zambezira.org (English)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Lars Wilkus, Volker Böge: Africa's international rivers and lakes. Status and experience in cross-border water management in Africa using selected examples . German Development Institute , Bonn 2005 (for: BMZ : "Transboundary Water Management in Africa".) Pp. 17–20 (PDF document)
  2. ^ A b c d e Zambezi River Authority: About Us . at www.zambezira.org (English)
  3. ^ A b Zambezi River Authority: Kariba HES Technical Data . at www.zambezira.org (English)
  4. ^ Zambezi River Authority: Kariba HES . at www.zambezira.org (English)
  5. ^ National Assembly of Zambia: Zambezi River Authority Act . on www.parliament.gov.zm (English)
  6. ^ Zambezi River Authority: Background . at www.zambezira.org (English)
  7. ↑ Elizabeth Muguti: Support of the rehabilitation of the Kariba dam: The Zambezi River Authority finalize preparations with donors . News from October 16, 2014 on www.afdb.org (English)
  8. ^ Zambezi River Authority, Kariba Development Rehabilitation Project: Plunge Pool Reshaping . at www.zambezira.org (English)
  9. ^ Zambezi River Authority: EMP Working Group . at www.zambezira.org (English)
  10. ^ Zambezi River Authority: Environmental Monitoring Program . at www.zambezira.org (English)
  11. ^ Zambezi River Authority: Potential Hydro-Electric Schemes . at www.zambezira.org (English)
  12. ↑ Munyaradzi C. Munodawafa: The role of the Zambezi River Authortity in the developement of hydro power within the Zambezi River Basin . Conference paper of the 2015 World Hydropower Congress (International Hydropower Association), at www.hydropower.org (PP file, English)
  13. ^ Zambezi River Authority: Batoka Hydro-electric Scheme (HES) . at www.bghes.org (English)
  14. ^ Zambezi River Authority: Batoka HES Project . at www.zambezira.org (English)
  15. ^ Zambezi River Authority: Devils Gorge Hydro-electric Scheme (HES) . at www.bghes.org (English)
  16. ↑ Zambezi River Authority: Mupata Gorge Dam . at www.bghes.org (English)
  17. ^ Zambezi River Authority: Zambezi Valley Development Fund (ZVDF) . at www.bghes.org (English)