Located in
Zambia :: Kafue
Category:
Attraction :: Dam/Lake
The Kafue Gorge Upper Power Station required a steady supply of water, something the seasonal Kafue River couldn’t provide. In 1974 erection of a dam wall began in the Itezhi-tezhi gap; the reservoir created would hold sufficient water to supply the Upper Kafue Gorge Power Station through the dry season. The dam wall (62 m high and 1 800 m long) was completed in 1977 and the small village that grew up during its construction was called Itezhi-tezhi. The Itezhi-Tezhi Hydro Power Station was completed in 2016 and the town has grown to about 8 000 residents, most of them employed by the Itezhi-Tezhi Power Corporation and the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO).
The Itezhi-Tezhi Dam has had a significant impact on Kafue Flats ecological system. The dam limits seasonal flooding and the water doesn’t drop as low in the dry season as it did before the dam. Although the intentions were to open the sluices every March to mimic seasonal flooding, low rainfall has prevented this - with a resultant increase in woody species reducing grasslands and available grazing. This has lead to a decline in fish population and game numbers.
Address : | Kafue, Zambia |
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