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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 186m3/s as of 10th August 2026, whilst last year on the same date it was at 186m3/s.

From:
28 July 2026
To:
10 August 2026
DateFlow (m3/s)(2025/26)Flow (m3/s)(2024/25)
28-Jul228229
29-Jul223226
30-Jul220222
31-Jul217218
1-Aug212215
2-Aug209211
3-Aug207208
4-Aug204203
5-Aug202201
6-Aug199199
7-Aug196196
8-Aug191192
9-Aug189189
10-Aug186186

Ngonye

Flows at Ngonye are steadily decreasing, closing the period under review at 590m3/s as of 10th August 2026. The flow recorded last year on the same date was at 539m3/s.

From:
28 July 2026
To:
10 August 2026
DateFlow (m3/s)(2025/26)Flow (m3/s)(2024/25)
28-Jul741700
29-Jul726677
30-Jul710663
31-Jul695650
1-Aug685638
2-Aug674625
3-Aug658609
4-Aug649599
5-Aug635590
6-Aug631577
7-Aug618570
8-Aug609555
9-Aug600545
10-Aug590539

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 624m3/s as of 10th August 2026.  The flow observed on the same date last year was at 581m3/s.

From:
28 July 2026
To:
10 August 2026
DateFlow (m3/s)(2025/26)Flow (m3/s)(2024/25)
28-Jul822814
29-Jul808788
30-Jul785764
31-Jul769744
1-Aug752721
2-Aug733701
3-Aug720675
4-Aug703665
5-Aug691648
6-Aug674626
7-Aug661616
8-Aug641606
9-Aug631594
10-Aug624581