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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 in recession, closing the period under review at 257m3/s as of 20th July 2026, whilst last year on the same date it was at 261m3/s.

From:
7 July 2026
To:
20 July 2026
DateFlow (m3/s)(2025/26)Flow (m3/s)(2024/25)
7-Jul321326
8-Jul316321
9-Jul309313
10-Jul303309
11-Jul297304
12-Jul293297
13-Jul289291
14-Jul284288
15-Jul280283
16-Jul276279
17-Jul272275
18-Jul264270
19-Jul261265
20-Jul257261

Ngonye

Flows at Ngonye are steadily decreasing, closing the period under review at 877m3/s as of 20th July 2026. The flow recorded last year on the same date was at 850m3/s.

From:
7 July 2026
To:
20 July 2026
DateFlow (m3/s)(2025/26)Flow (m3/s)(2024/25)
7-Jul11061177
8-Jul10921152
9-Jul10641129
10-Jul10451099
11-Jul10261075
12-Jul10051047
13-Jul9831028
14-Jul968995
15-Jul968973
16-Jul949951
17-Jul933924
18-Jul914896
19-Jul893878
20-Jul877850

Victoria Falls (Nana’s Farm Station)

The Zambezi River flows at Victoria Falls – Nana’s Farm Station are steadily decreasing, closing the period under review at 1,004m3/s as of 20th July 2026.  The flow observed on the same date last year was at 1,057m3/s.

From:
7 July 2026
To:
20 July 2026
DateFlow (m3/s)(2025/26)Flow (m3/s)(2024/25)
7-Jul1,3461,506
8-Jul1,3161,468
9-Jul1,2851,429
10-Jul1,2641,396
11-Jul1,2411,361
12-Jul1,2131,332
13-Jul1,1881,296
14-Jul11601258
15-Jul11331228
16-Jul11131195
17-Jul10941160
18-Jul10671126
19-Jul10291097
20-Jul10041057