Zambezi river reaches alarming levels

05 March 2010, The Namibian
URL: http://allafrica.com/stories/201003040154.html

Windhoek:  Heavy rains in south-eastern Angola and western Zambia caused the Zambezi River to rise to nearly nine metres at Chavuma in Zambia over the weekend with floods expected to reach Katima Mulilo by the middle of this month.

The Zambezi River continued to rise steadily at Katima Mulilo and reached 5.08 metres yesterday, up by 11 centimetres from Sunday.

"The Zambezi River Authority of Zambia forwarded its upstream readings, confirming the arrival of a high flood in the Zambezi River at Chavuma near the Angolan border and the river there measured 9 metres," said Guido van Langenhove, Chief Hydrologist in the Agriculture Ministry.  He said Friday's reading was 8.81 m at Chavuma.

"The flood from Chavuma is expected to reach Katima Mulilo by the middle of this month. It depends on rains and flow conditions in the intermediate areas what magnitude of flood will ultimately reach Katima Mulilo," the hydrologist said yesterday.

According to him the Zambezi water levels may reach and pass the seven metre mark in Katima Mulilo also by mid-March.  "For the time being, heavy rains have moved out of that area and no new heavy rains are predicted over southern Zambia," Van Langenhove said.

He said waterlevels in the Cuvelai oshanas in north-central Namibia were also rising slightly as there have been good rains in Angola earlier last week.  Van Langenhove said some flood waters were heading for Namibia's oshanas.