May 3, 2023 1

ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS DEPARTMENT

AMRITA SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, ETTIMADAI

KARIBA HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT

PRESENTED BY: MINU YACOBCB.EN.P2RET16010

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INTRODUCTION

• It is one of the older of the large dams, worldwide.• It is shared by two sovereign countries, Zambia

and Zimbabwe• It is on a river, the Zambezi, it is an international

river.• Managed by Zambezi River Authorities. • Arch dam.• 128 meters high.• 579 meters long Dam

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Fig no:1

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STEPPING STONES

• First step 1907• 1945 drive for power• 1946-Inter territorial hydroelectric power

commission• 1956 world bank gave 80 million dollars• The installation of the first generation units on

the south bank was completed late in 1959 • First electricity was generated in January

1960. • Kariba Dam was constructed from 1955–1960.

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OBJECTIVES

• A concrete arch dam at Kariba gorge.• Two power stations on each bank of the river,

with a combined planned capacity of 1320 MW

south bank station-600MW north bank (Zambia)- 600MW;

• The construction of the residential town of Kariba

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• The construction of a paved road

• The erection of power lines to connect the hydropower station at Kariba with the copper mines.

• The resettlement of 50000 Africans.

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POWER HOUSE FEATURES

• Installed capacity of 1626 MW• Annual generation:6400GWh• Turbines : 12 Francis turbines• North- 4 × 150 MW

2 × 180 MW South- 6 × 111MW

• Present status :Operational

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SOCIAL IMPACTS

• People forced to abandon their riverine life.• loss property and livestock(teste fly). • Those displaced thought that they were treated

more or less like animals• endless food insecurity and poverty. • Both host and resettled communities fight each

other. • Separated from relatives and cultures.

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CULTURAL IMPACTS

• Kariba has traditional Zimbabwean culture. • They believed in the river god Nyaminyami.• The name Kariba, it refers to a rock • The rock is said to be the home of the

Nyaminyami , the river God .• It get submerged by the dam.• Tribes lost their relatives.

Fig no:2

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SEISMIC IMPACTS

• The weight of Kariba’s reservoir is a mass of 180 billion metric tons.

• The reservoir is located in a tectonically active area

• Kariba has caused numerous earthquakes in the area, 20 of them larger than magnitude 5 on the Richter scale.

• Seismic loads were not considered in the design of the Kariba Dam.

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IMPACTS ON AGRICULTURE

• Tonga's lost their fertile alluvial soil• Resettled area soil was sandy and have low

water holding capacity.• No guidance to practice successful agriculture.• Infested with tsetse fly – affects cattle.

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TOURISM IMPACTS

• It has become one of the largest economic activities of the Kariba Dam.

• Large water body, opportunities for water sport, abundant wildlife resources in close proximity of the lake, the existence of a good tarred road

• Tonga people are not benefited by this.

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Public Health and Water Borne Diseases -Impacts of Kariba

Dam• Schistosomiasis-snail

Fig no:3

• Malaria

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IMPACTS OF LAKE KARIBA ON WILDLIFE

• Operation Noah - Wildlife Relocation during Construction of Kariba Dam

• Loss of wild life habitat(hippo,vervet monkey,african skimmer)

• Terrestrial animals killed by rising water• Animals killed during construction.(18 elephents,1

lion leoperd rhino)• Resettlement of people into wildlife habitats• Accumulation of DDT

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• Increased habitat for some species (crocodiles)• Sustainable Wildlife Use in Communal Lands• Change from Riverine to Lacustrine

Environment Effects fishes.• Fauna -lacustrine conditions enabled

zooplankton

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IMPACTS OF LAKE KARIBA ON FISHERIES

• Riverine fish fauna is not adapted to lake conditions

• People introduced lake fish Clupeidae (5.6kg/ha to 340 kg/ha)

• High fish yields at first few years. • It droped as the dam matures.

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RECENT ACTIVITIES

• On 3 October 2014 the BBC reported that, because of the past 50 years, the torrents from the spillway have eroded that bedrock, effects dam's foundations.

• On January 18 2016 -It was reported that water levels at the Kariba dam had dropped to 12% of capacity.

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IMPACTS AT A GLANCE

POSITIVE• Hydropower• Economy• Recreation

NEGATIVE• Reservoir flooding• Earthquake• Poor resettlement

Compared with other large dams, kariba is a great success. It has over served its purpose with relatively little controversy and negative impacts.

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REFERENCES

• "Kariba Dam, Zambia and Zimbabwe; Final Report: November 2000" . World Commission on Dams.

• "Hydroelectric Power Plants in Southern Africa". Power Plants Around the World Photo Gallery. Industry Cards. Retrieved 20 February 2014.

• www.internationalrivers.org/resources/kariba-dam-safety-concerns

• en.wikipedia.org

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THANK YOU