 |
Home>Mozambique>What to see | 
|
|||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mozambique: What to see | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Lake
Cahora Bassa
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
>see photographs Overview The Barragem de Cahora Bassa dams the Zambezi River approximately 150 km northwest of Tete. The lake pushes back to the confluence of the Zambezi and the Luangwa Rivers on the border with Zambia. This is one of the largest civil engineering projects of its time in Africa and although the dam is not as large as Lake Kariba it has better electricity producing capacity. The setting and surrounding scenery is beautiful. History The local government of the Portuguese province of Mozambique identified a need to be able to control the flooding of the Zambezi, and to store water for agricultural and industrial projects planned for the Lower Zambezi Valley. The concept of producing hydroelectric power was introduced after thoughts of agriculture and industry, and the turning point was South Africa agreeing to buy all the power produced thus justifying building the massive hydroelectric power producing plant. The site was decided on in 1960 but the dam was only built in the early seventies and was subject to attacks by Renamo rebels even during the building process. In 1974 the building was completed and the lake started filling. Problems encountered The first problem, and the most crippling, was the destruction of the power lines to South Africa and other parts of Mozambique by Renamo rebels in 1986. Basically for the fist twenty years after it was constructed the Cahora Bassa Hydroelectric Power Plant produced electricity at nowhere near its capacity. The invasion of the water hyacinth has also caused major concern - this species was introduced to Africa from South America and has caused large problems in Lake Kariba, Lake Victoria, and other African lakes. Growing at a remarkable rate this plant has drastic effects on the aquatic life. This is because it increases the rate of evaporation of water, it consumes a great deal of oxygen from the water, and it covers a great deal of the surface area of the lake. It is also practically impossible to eliminate since its seeds fall to the bottom of the lake where it is very difficult to gather and destroy them. The third concern is the build up of silt in the dam - this could affect the efficiency of the plant. Although Lakes Kariba and Kafue stop a lot of the silt in the Zambezi River the Luangwa River has been carrying increased volumes of silt in previous years. The reason being that poor farming methods in the surrounding areas have resulted in overgrazing and thus increased erosion and run off of soil into the Luangwa River. Repair and Rehabilitation Contractual obligations of the South African company ESKOM have forced them to restore the power project of Cahora Bassa. This involved the construction of the lines to South Africa along a new route since there were landmines under the old lines. Zimbabwe and South Africa are now both supplied by the Cahora Bassa as well as the local area in Mozambique. Statistics of the Lake and Project
(Source of this information: Damit by Henry Olivier) When To Go The cooler drier months of April to September. Being in the Zambezi Valley the Lake can be humid and temperatures soar up in the high 30's C (100 F) during the rainy season November to March. Temperatures rarely drop below 25 C (76 F) during the cooler months. Accommodation The Ugezi Tiger Lodge is right on the lakeshore and its name derived from its excellent Tiger fishing opportunities offered on the Lake. How to get there By road On the road to Zimbabwe 24 km from Tete is the turn off to Songo (which is the dams' service town) and the access road to the lakeside. The road is paved and in fine condition and provides a very scenic route. There are also daily buses to Songo leaving from the Hotel Kassuende in Tete. Permits Before arriving at the Lake one needs to obtain written permission from one of the H.C.B offices (Hidroelectricia Cahora Bassa), which can be found in Tete, Chimoio, Maputo, Harare and Johannesburg. These are presented to the police at a checkpoint before the town. Tours Guided Tours of the Dam including the underground turbine rooms can be arranged and run a few times a week. These can be arranged by contacting H.C.B Maputo at 1132 Av. do Trabalho, Tel: (01) 400647, Fax: (01) 400551, Telex: 6-467 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
| TOP | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||
|
||||||
|
||||||
|
||||||