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53
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:ThePaci 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
© Candice Bate,
WWF