Zambezi River Basin

© Candice Bate, WWF

Buffaloes grazing in the lush grass on the banks of the Savute River.

Access to safe drinking water is a major concern in the Zambezi basin and one of the key Millennium Development Goals for all eight basin countries. The water flow in the Zambezi river is estimated at 3 600 cu m per second. This represents about 87 mm/year of equivalent rainfall and less than 10 per cent of the average rainfall in the basin (Shela 2000). The average annual rainfall in the basin is about 950 mm/year (Mitchell 2004), but is unevenly distributed across the basin. The southern and western parts of the basin receive less rainfall than the northern and eastern parts. The more densely populated areas are located in the medium to low rainfall areas (Shela 2000). Freshwater Resources

Water consumption in the Zambezi basin is estimated at 15–20 per cent of total runoff (SADC and SARDC 2008). The consumptive uses include water supplies for drinking and sanitation in the basin’s cities and towns, including Blantyre, Bulawayo, Harare, Kitwe, Lilongwe, Lusaka, Ndola and Tete. Irrigation consumes about 1.5 cu km per year. About 200 000 hectares of the estimated potential 7 million hectares have been developed for irrigation in the basin (Shela 2000). Non-consumptive uses of the water resources of the Zambezi basin include hydro power generation at Kariba, Cahora Bassa, Victoria Falls and Kafue Gorge, and other dam sites. Other non-consumptive uses include fisheries, tourism, sport and navigation.

Freshwater availability per capita in Zambezi River Basin countries

Cubic metres of renewable freshwater per capita

Water stress Below 1 700 cubic metres per year

Water scarcity Below 1 000 cubic metres per year

8122

7195

7093

6476

5753

1622

1150

925

Mozambique

Namibia

Angola

Botswana

Zambia

Tanzania

Zimbabwe

Malawi

Source:The Paci c Institute, 2010; Hirji, R., Johnson, P., Maro, P., and Matiza-Chiuta,T. 2002. De ning and Mainstreaming Environmental Sustainability inWater Resources Management in Southern Africa.World Bank/SADC/IUCN/SARDC,Washington DC/Gaborone/HarareCountries data refers to di erent years, ranging from 1987 to 2005.

Figure 2.7 Per capita water availability is dwindling in all the basin countries, and the situation is particularly dire for Malawi, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

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