Africa-Press – Zambia. Facing disruptions in power generation due to low water levels at the Kariba Dam, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema visited the Maamba Collieries and Kariba Dam power plants to assess the situation. At the Maamba Power station, President Hichilema met with management to understand their maintenance schedules, which have contributed to power generation disruptions.
“We urged them to speed up these processes so that normal operations can resume as soon as possible,” the President said. “We also emphasized the need for future maintenance to be planned in a way that does not impact national power generation.”
During the visit to the Kariba Dam, it was discovered that systems and processes had been neglected, leading to a lack of proper monitoring and sharing of critical information. The Kariba Dam is a shared asset between Zambia and Zimbabwe and is managed by the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA).
“We will be engaging with our Zimbabwean counterparts to optimize and effectively utilize the reservoir and to improve compliance levels in water management,” President Hichilema said.
To mitigate the impact on small businesses, the President directed the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) to consider splitting the current 12 hours of load shedding per area into a six-hour schedule.
“We want to minimize the impact on small businesses as much as possible,” he said. “Splitting the load shedding into a six-hour schedule can help them maintain their operations.”
President Hichilema emphasized the importance of taking responsibility for challenges and making decisions based on long-term foundations rather than short-term, politically convenient solutions.
“We will not shy away from taking responsibility for the challenges we face,” he said. “And in addressing these problems, we will not take politically convenient, populist routes. Our decisions will be based on building sound foundations that will last for generations to come.”
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