More dams to be built on the Zambezi

Mozambique plans to build dams to avoid repeats of the flooding of the Zambezi River that has devastated the country in recent weeks.

The first dam to be constructed will be the Mpanda Nkhuwa dam, located 70 kilometres downstream from the Cahora Bassa dam in the Tete Province, according to energy minister Salvador Namburete.

The initiative will help control the flow of floodwaters that are discharged from the country's Cahora Bassa hydroelectric dam during the rainy season.

The floodgates of the Cahora Bassa dam have to be opened when the weight of water building up behind reaches the dam's maximum capacity. A second dam would store water downstream and help to regulate the flow of water.

It would also improve irrigation of farmland in the region, and produce an estimated 1,300 megawatts of electricity, according to the Mozambique news agency.

The estimated cost for the dam — which would take six years to build — will be US$2.3 billion. A loan from China's Exim Bank agreed in November 2006 will cover the cost.

from the Science and Development Network