Victoria Falls Record Highest Flow In 10 Years

The Victoria Falls has so far reached its highest flow in a decade following heavy rainfall which induced a significant increase in the run-off in the catchment area upstream of the Zambezi River during the rainy season.

Zambezi River Authority public relations and communications manager Elizabeth Karonga said on April 20, 2020, at least 3 922 cubic metres per second was recorded compared to 1 007 cubic metres per second on the same date in 2019, an increase of nearly four times. Said Karonga:

The flows at the Victoria Falls have not been this high since 2010 when they were slightly higher; they were also higher in 2009 and 1978, but the highest flows ever recorded were in 1958 when the peak flow reached an incredible 9 436 cubic metres per second.

… The Zambezi River normally experiences two peaks or floods, which are more evident in the upper catchment area, upstream of Victoria Falls and depending on their magnitude, their effects are translated downstream.

More: NewsDay