Kariba Lake Levels Show Slight Improvement Following Rainfall

The Kariba lake level has begun to show slight increases following recent rainfall in and around the lake and its immediate catchment, the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) has said.

However, ZRA warned that overall stability, rather than a full recovery, is expected as the 2025/2026 rainy season continues.

As of Monday, 29 December 2025, the lake level stood at 476.24 metres, compared with 475.80 metres on the same date in 2024. By comparison, 29 December 2018, a year ZRA regards as favourable, saw the lake at 482.46 metres.

On the same date in 2025, the usable live storage volume was 3.33 BCM, up from 1.38 BCM in 2024, but far below the 33.72 BCM recorded in 2018.

Regarding usable live storage for power generation, the level was 5.15% on 29 December 2025, compared with 2.14% in 2024 and 50.50% in 2018.

Over the past several weeks, the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) has been generating a maximum of 550 MW at the Kariba South Power Station.

Related:

Kariba water levels receding as expected, but far better than 2025 Kariba Dam Levels Up 3 Metres On Last Year But Still Below 2018 Peak