Large scale aid project Cahora Bassa dam

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  • Large - scale aid project : Cahora Bassa dam
    • About
      • The Cahora Bassa dam was begun by the Portugese government In Mozambique in the 1960s. The dam is an example of bilateral aid
      • Due to civil war, the project wasn't finished until 3 decades later.
      • The dam blocks the 4th largest lake in Africa and is 1 of the top 3 major dams along the Zambezi River, It created a reservoir that is 292km long, 38km wide and about 20.9m deep
      • The civil war (1977 - 1992) prevented development and use of the scheme, as well as damaging the infrastructure.
      • Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world with a HDI of 0.327.The dam was an attempt to escape poverty by creating energy for industry and therefore more jobs.
      • Renewal work didn't begin until 1995, ending in 1997.
      • The dam is the largest HEP scheme in Southern Africa with 5 huge turbines.
    • Cons
      • The local people of Mozambique don't benefit from selling the power directly
      • Having three dams in one basin has caused environmental damage
  • Only 1% of homes in rural Mozambique have a direct electricity supply from the plant as it is sold to other countries.
  • River flow is low because so much water is held in reservoirs, the shrimp fishing industry in the lower valley has been virtually destroyed.
  • A new dam, the mepuna uncua, was planned in 2005 downstream from Cahora Bassa,even though the existing dam is not fully operational, the environmental consequences of this are un certain and risky.
  • It was hoped that the dam would reduce the risks of major flooding although it has barely reduced flooding.
  • Pros
    • Transmits 1920mv with 1mv having the potential to power 1000 homes.

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