Zambezi River Basin

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

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.

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).

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.

Mozambique

Namibia

Angola

Botswana

Zambia

Tanzania

Zimbabwe

Malawi

925

1150

1622

5753

6476

7093

7195

8122

Freshwater availability per capita in Zambezi River Basin countries

Water stress

Below 1 700 cubic

metres per year

Water scarcity

Below 1 000 cubic

metres per year

Cubic metres of renewable freshwater per capita

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.

Freshwater Resources

WWF