The water levels in Lake Kariba have continued to plummet, raising fears that the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) may be forced to further restrict water available for power generation.
If that were to happen, ZESA will have to intensify load shedding.
As of last month, water levels in Lake Kariba had fallen to 27 per cent. The current situation resulted from one of the worst droughts in living memory, induced by the El Nino phenomenon.
The Daily News was told that water levels have now fallen to only 24 per cent.
Energy and Power Development Minister, Fortune Chasi confirmed the developments at Lake Kariba. He said:
Generally, the power supply will be affected and that means we will have to rely on imports, but we need to increase investment in the power industry as a long term solution.
We also need to conserve power and aggressively invest in the industry to safeguard the future.
Failure to invest in the energy sector over the years has resulted in debilitating power cuts which have grounded industry close to a halt.
The country’s power utility is also heavily indebted to neighbouring countries, that is, Eskom of South Africa which is owed US$27 million while Hydroelectrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB) of Mozambique is owed US$4O million. As a result, Zimbabwe has been unable to import significant amounts of electricity.