Tindor Sikunyongana is trying to run a welding business, which these days means buying a diesel generator with expensive fuel that he can’t always afford.
Like everyone else in Zambia, Sikonyongana faces a daily struggle to find and afford electricity during the crisis Climate-induced energy crisis This robbed the southern African country of almost all its power.
“Only God knows when this crisis will end,” Sikonyongana said. His generator ran out of diesel fuel and stopped as he spoke. “Do you see what I mean?” He said.
Themba Hadebe/AFP
What is the cause of power outages in Zambia?
The worst power outages in memory in Zambia were caused by a severe disaster drought In the area left behind is the vital Kariba Dam, the source of Sekonyongana’s problems, with insufficient water to power hydroelectric turbines. Kariba is the world’s largest man-made lake by volume and is located 200 kilometers (125 miles) south of Lusaka on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The massive dam wall was built in the 1950s and more than 80 workers died during construction. Its aim was to revolutionize the country’s energy supply by trapping the waters of the Zambezi River, turning the valley into a massive lake and providing an endless supply of renewable hydroelectric power.
This is no longer the case after months of nature-induced drought El Nino weather pattern Rising and worsening temperatures have put Zambia’s hydropower station on the brink of complete closure for the first time.
The water level is so low that only one of the six turbines on the side of the dam in Zambia is able to operate, reducing power generation to less than 10% of normal production. Zambia relies on Kariba for more than 80% of its national electricity supply, with the result that Zambians only get a few hours of power a day at the best of times. Often, areas remain without electricity for several days.
Idla Musonda is so angry that she has to take her entire desktop computer — hard drive, screen and all — to a local café so she can work.
Musonda and others gather at Mercato Cafe in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, not for the sandwiches or the atmosphere but because it has a diesel generator. Tables are filled with power connectors and cables as people plug in cell phones, laptops and, in Musonda’s case, a home office. This is the only way her small travel company will be able to survive.
Less than half of Zambia’s population of 20 million had access to electricity before Kariba’s problems. Millions more have now had to adapt, with mothers finding different ways to cook for their families and children doing their homework by candlelight. The most damaging impact is during daylight hours when small businesses, the backbone of the country, struggle to operate.
“This will also increase poverty levels in the country,” said economist Trevor Hambai, who fears Zambia’s economy will shrink significantly if the electricity crisis is prolonged. It is a wake-up call to the Zambian government and the continent in general about the danger to development by relying too heavily on a single, highly climate-dependent energy source.
Climate change and extreme weather
The energy crisis represents a bigger blow to the economy and the battle against poverty than the shutdowns during World War II Covid-19 Zambia Manufacturers Association President Ashu Sagar said the pandemic.
Africa contributes the least to global warming but is the continent most vulnerable to extreme climate events Climate change Because poor countries cannot cover the high financial costs of adaptation. This year’s drought in southern Africa is the worst in decades, drying up crops and leaving millions hungry, prompting Zambia and other countries to declare national disasters and ask for help.
Hydropower accounts for 17% of Africa’s power generation, but this number is expected to rise to 23% by 2040, according to the International Energy Agency. Zambia is not alone in that hydropower makes up more than 80% of the energy mix in Mozambique, Malawi, Uganda, Ethiopia and Congo, even as experts warn it will become more unreliable.
“Extreme weather patterns, including prolonged droughts, make clear that over-reliance on hydropower is no longer sustainable,” said Carlos Lopez, a professor at the Mandela School of Public Governance at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.
The Zambian government urged people and businesses To embrace solar energy. But many Zambians cannot afford the technology, while the government itself has turned to familiar but polluting diesel generators to temporarily power hospitals and other buildings. It also said it would increase its electricity consumption from coal-fired plants out of necessity. While neighboring Zimbabwe has also lost much of its electricity generation from Kariba, and power outages are frequent there, it gets a larger share of its energy from coal plants.
Themba Hadebe/AFP
Changes at Kariba Dam
In Kariba, the 128-meter (420-foot) high dam wall is almost completely exposed. A dry, reddish-brown patch near the top marks where the water reached better times more than a decade ago.
Leonard Siamuputo, who has been taking tourists on boat cruises on the picturesque lake for more than 20 years, has witnessed this change. As the water level dropped, it revealed old, dead trees that had remained completely submerged for years after the wall was built. “I see this tree for the first time,” he said about a tree that appeared in the middle of the lake.
The water level in the lake naturally rises and falls according to the season, but generally should rise by about six meters after rain. Authorities said the hurricane moved less than 30 centimeters after the latest rainy season had barely begun. They hope the rains will be good this year, which is scheduled to start in November. But they estimate it will take a good three years for Kariba to fully restore its hydroelectric capacity.
Experts also say there is no guarantee that these rains will come, and it is dangerous to rely on climate change given that Zambia has suffered energy problems due to drought before, and the trend is that they are getting worse.
“This is not a solution…just sit and wait for nature,” Hambai said.
