Editing Kariba Dam (section)

== Recent activity ==
On 6 February 2008, the [[BBC]] reported that heavy rain could lead to a release of water from the dam, which would force 50,000 people downstream to evacuate.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7231154.stm|title=Flood gates to open in Mozambique|date=February 6, 2008|via=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref>
Rising levels led to the opening of the floodgates in March 2010, requiring the evacuation of 130,000 people who lived in the floodplain, and causing concerns that flooding would spread to nearby areas.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8569309.stm|title=Zambia opens dam to alleviate flooding|date=March 15, 2010|via=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref>

In March 2014, at a conference organized by the [[Zambezi River Authority]], engineers warned that the foundations of the dam had weakened and there was a possibility of dam failure unless repairs were made.<ref>{{cite news|last=IRIN|title=Kariba Dam and Zim disaster preparedness|url=http://www.newzimbabwe.com/news-15220-Kariba+Dam+and+Zim+disaster+preparedness/news.aspx|access-date=10 April 2014|newspaper=New Zimbabwe|date=9 April 2014|archive-date=11 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140411134736/http://www.newzimbabwe.com/news-15220-Kariba+Dam+and+Zim+disaster+preparedness/news.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 3 October 2014 the BBC reported that "The Kariba Dam is in a dangerous state. Opened in 1959, it was built on a seemingly solid bed of basalt. But, in the past 50 years, the torrents from the spillway have eroded that bedrock, carving a vast crater that has undercut the dam's foundations. … engineers are now warning that without urgent repairs, the whole dam will collapse. If that happened, a tsunami-like wall of water would rip through the Zambezi valley, reaching the Mozambique border within eight hours. The torrent would overwhelm Mozambique's [[Cahora Bassa Dam]] and knock out 40% of southern Africa's hydroelectric capacity. Along with the devastation of wildlife in the valley, the Zambezi River Authority estimates that the lives of 3.5 million people are at risk."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-29441074 |title=The marooned baboon: Africa's loneliest monkey |publisher=BBC |date=3 October 2014|access-date=3 October 2014}}</ref>

In June 2015 The Institute of Risk Management South Africa completed a Risk Research Report entitled ''Impact of the failure of the Kariba Dam''. It concluded: "Whilst we can debate whether the Kariba
Dam will fail, why it might occur and when, there is no doubt that the impact across the region would be devastating."<ref>{{cite web |title=Impact of the failure of the Kariba Dam |url=https://www.internationalrivers.org/sites/default/files/attached-files/kariba_dam_risks.pdf |website=International Rivers |access-date=25 February 2019}}</ref>

In January 2016 it was reported that water levels at the dam had dropped to 12% of capacity. Levels fell by {{Convert|5.58|m}}<!--from 482.83 to 477.25-->, which is just {{Convert|1.75|m}}<!--from 477.25 to 475.5--> above the minimum operating level for hydropower. Low rainfalls and overuse of the water by the power plants have left the reservoir near empty, raising the prospect that both Zimbabwe and Zambia will face water shortages.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kariba dam drops to record low 12%, and Zimbabwe, Zambia stare at a nightmare |url=http://mgafrica.com/article/2016-01-20-kariba-dam-drops-to-record-low-12-and-zimbabwe-zambia-stare-at-a-nightmare |website=[[Mail and Guardian#The Mail & Guardian Online|Mail & Guardian Africa]] |date=2016-01-20| access-date=2016-02-18}}</ref>

In July and September 2018, ''The Lusaka Times'' reported that work had started relating to the plunge pool and cracks in the dam wall.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kariba dam rehabilitation works are progressing well |url=https://www.lusakatimes.com/2018/07/19/kariba-dam-rehabilitation-works-are-progressing-well/ |website=Lusakatimes.com |date=19 July 2018 |access-date=25 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Initial rehabilitation works on the Dam Wall at Lake Kariba has started |url=https://www.lusakatimes.com/2018/09/05/initial-rehabilitation-works-on-the-dam-wall-at-lake-kariba-has-started/ |website=Lusakatimes.com |date=5 September 2018 |access-date=25 February 2019}}</ref>

On 22 February 2019 Bloomberg reported "Zambia has reduced hydropower production at the Kariba Dam because of rapidly declining water levels" but "Zambia doesn't anticipate power cuts as a result of shortages".<ref>{{cite news |title=Zambia Cuts Power From World's Biggest Man-Made Reservoir |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-22/zambia-cuts-kariba-hydropower-output-as-water-levels-plunge |newspaper=Bloomberg.com |date=22 February 2019 |access-date=25 February 2019}}</ref> On 5 August that year, the same publication reported that the reservoir was near empty, and that it may have to stop hydropower production.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-05/power-starved-zimbabwe-zambia-face-further-drought-induced-dark|title=Power-Starved Zimbabwe, Zambia Face Further Drought-Induced Blackouts|last1=Hill|first1=Matthew|date=5 August 2019|work=Bloomberg|access-date=9 October 2019|last2=Ndlovu|first2=Ray}}</ref>

As of November 2020 the water level in the Kariba reservoir has remained steady around the 25% capacity, up from nearly half that in November 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kariba Reservoir Data {{!}} Zambezi River Authority|url=http://www.zambezira.org/hydrology/kariba-reservoir-data|access-date=2020-11-22|website=www.zambezira.org}}</ref> The Zambezi River Authority has stated that it is optimistic about rainfall estimates for the 2020/2021 rainfall season, allocating an increased amount of water for power production. At that time, the reservoir held 15.77 billion cubic meters of water, with the water line sitting at around 478.30 metres (1,569.23 ft), just above the minimum capacity for power generation of 475.50 metres (1,560.04 ft).<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-11-09|title=ZRA allots more water for Kariba generation|url=https://www.zimbabwesituation.com/news/zra-allots-more-water-for-kariba-generation/|access-date=2020-11-23|website=Zimbabwe Situation|language=en-US}}</ref>

It was reported in February 2022 that rehabilitation work has been underway since 2017 on the Kariba dam. The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) said that work on the Kariba Dam Rehabilitation Project (KDRP), which includes efforts to reconfigure the plunge pool and rebuild the spillway gates, is scheduled to be finished in 2025. The rehabilitation of the dam is being financed by the European Union (EU), the World Bank, the Swedish government and the African Development Bank (AfDB), with the Zambian and Zimbabwe governments contributing counterpart funding. The project’s goal is to guarantee the structural integrity of the Kariba Dam, assuring the sustained generation of power primarily for the benefit of the inhabitants of Zimbabwe and Zambia and the broader Southern African Development Community area. The work on redesigning the plunge pool involves bulk excavating the rock in the current pool to assist plunge pool stabilization and avoid additional scouring or erosion along the weak fault zone towards the dam foundation. This reshaping work will be accomplished by constructing a temporary water-tight cofferdam to complete the reshaping work under dry conditions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://constructionreviewonline.com/biggest-projects/taking-action-avert-kariba-dam-collapse/|title=Kariba Dam Rehabilitation Project (KDRP) Updates|first=Patrick|last=Otieno|date=May 13, 2014|website=Construction Review Online}}</ref>

An energy crisis due to drought and low water levels continued into January 2023, with water level falling to just 1% of capacity and output limited to 800 MW for a fraction of the day.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ajasa |first=Amudalat |date=January 4, 2023 |title=Low water levels have created an energy crisis at the world's largest dam |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/01/04/kariba-dam-record-low-power-cuts/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-01-25 |title=Power crisis looms in Zambia as world's largest man-made dam dries up |url=https://www.lifegate.com/kariba-dam-power-crisis |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=LifeGate |language=en-US}}</ref>

Industrial power users have proposed a 250 MW [[floating solar]] plant on Lake Kariba to improve electricity reliability.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-05 |title=Zimbabwe Industrial Power Users Aim to Raise $250 Million for Floating Solar Panels - BNN Bloomberg |url=https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/zimbabwe-industrial-power-users-aim-to-raise-250-million-for-floating-solar-panels-1.1941719 |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=BNN}}</ref>