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River Flows

The hydrometric network used for the control and day to day operations of the Kariba reservoir comprise of thirteen stations where water levels are monitored daily. Flow measurements are carried out at eight of these stations which include the Victoria Falls, one of the key stations on the Zambezi River. Coincidentally, the maximum flow recorded at Victoria Falls was during the early construction phase of Kariba Dam in March 1958 at 10,000 cubic metres per second.  The lowest flows recorded to date at Victoria Falls were during the 1995/96 season which had an annual mean flow of 390 cubic metres per second, whereas the Long Term Mean Annual flow at Victoria Falls is 1,100 cubic metres per second.

FLOWS AT SELECTED STATIONS:

Chavuma

The Zambezi River flows at Chavuma are decreasing, closing the period under review at 728m3/s as of 2nd June 2025, whilst last year on the same date it was much lower at 379m3/s.

From:
27 May 2025
To:
2 June 2025
DateFlow (m3/s)(2024/25)Flow (m3/s)(2023/24)
27-May870427
28-May842418
29-May818408
30-May798399
31-May770393
1-Jun750385
2-Jun728379
chavuma

Ngonye

Flows at Ngonye are decreasing steadily, closing the period under review at 2,494m3/s as of 2nd June 2025. The flow recorded last year on the same date was lower at 1,050m3/s.

From:
27 May 2025
To:
2 June 2025
DateFlow (m3/s)(2024/25)Flow (m3/s)(2023/24)
27-May2,7131,059
28-May2,6831,069
29-May2,6571,059
30-May2,6101,055
31-May2,5751,054
1-Jun2,5171,052
2-Jun2,4941,050
ngonye

Victoria Falls (Nana’s Farm Station)

The Zambezi River flows at Victoria Falls – Nana’s Farm Station are decreasing steadily, closing the period under review at 2,766m3/s as of 2nd June 2025.  The flow observed on the same date last year was lower at 926m3/s.

From:
27 May 2025
To:
2 June 2025
DateFlow (m3/s)(2024/25)Flow (m3/s)(2023/24)
27-May2,790893
28-May2,794898
29-May2,790904
30-May2,790909
31-May2,785917
1-Jun2,776920
2-Jun2,766926
vic-falls