Water storage levels in the Zambezi basin, which feeds the Cahora Bassa reservoir, have reached their lowest level in 30 years, which puts the power generation capacity of the country's largest dam at risk.

According to data released on Friday (13) by the National Directorate of Water Resources (DNRH), the basin is currently at 46% of its intake capacity, a situation that could jeopardize national energy production targets.

"The basin has very low storage levels over the last 30 years. Just to give us an idea, in a period like this, the Cahora Bassa Hydroelectric Plant (HCB) should have been more or less at 80% of storage level," explained Agostinho Vlanculo, a senior technician at the DNRH, in a DNRH publication. Terra Magazine.

With weather forecasts pointing to little rain for the Central region in the first third of the rainy season that begins next month, Vilanculo stresses that based on the existing data, the situation for the national hydroelectric plant does not bode well.

"The forecast shows that there will be below-normal rainfall between October, November and December and, being with 40% in HCB, the situation is not the best," he warned.

"We have to pray. It has to rain in order to increase storage levels, otherwise we'll be compromised in terms of our energy production targets," he stressed.

Faced with the current situation, Zimbabwe has already begun to take measures to deal with the energy crisis by restricting energy supplies for three hours a day.

(Photo DR)