Hydrology Banner

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 324m3/s as of 6th July 2026, whilst last year on the same date it was at 331m3/s.

From:
23 June 2026
To:
6 July 2026
DateFlow (m3/s)(2025/26)Flow (m3/s)(2024/25)
23-Jun407424
24-Jun398415
25-Jun393407
26-Jun386401
27-Jun380394
28-Jun373385
29-Jun368379
30-Jun362371
1-Jul356366
2-Jul348360
3-Jul341354
4-Jul334343
5-Jul329337
6-Jul324331

Ngonye

Flows at Ngonye are steadily decreasing, closing the period under review at 1,135m3/s as of 6th July 2026. The flow recorded last year on the same date was at 1,208m3/s.

From:
6 July 2026
To:
6 July 2026
DateFlow (m3/s)(2025/26)Flow (m3/s)(2024/25)
23-Jun1,4171,611
24-Jun1,4061,575
25-Jun1,3901,541
26-Jun1,3601,508
27-Jun1,3341,475
28-Jun1,3131,446
29-Jun1,2961,394
30-Jun1,2651,379
1-Jul1,2391,336
2-Jul1,2121,321
3-Jul1,2061,295
4-Jul1,1761,267
5-Jul1,1511,239
6-Jul1,1351,208

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 1,374m3/s as of 6th July 2026.  The flow observed on the same date last year was at 1,545m3/s.

From:
23 June 2026
To:
6 July 2026
DateFlow (m3/s)(2025/26)Flow (m3/s)(2024/25)
23-Jun1,7682,103
24-Jun1,7322,059
25-Jun1,6982,011
26-Jun1,6651,952
27-Jun1,6341,909
28-Jun1,6071,864
29-Jun1,5761,820
30-Jun1,5491,780
1-Jul1,5151,744
2-Jul1,4771,700
3-Jul1,4641,663
4-Jul1,4311,624
5-Jul1,4011,582
6-Jul1,3741,545