ZRA ASSURES PUBLIC OF KARIBA DAM’S INTEGRITY AFTER EARTHQUAKES
The Zambezi River Authority has assured the public of the integrity of the Kariba dam walls following a string of earthquakes reported in the area in recent times.
The Authority’s Executive Director, Munyaradzi Munodawafa, had confirmed in a statement made available that the most recent earthquake incident, with a magnitude of 4.9, had occurred at 05:39 hours on 23rd December 2024.
He stated that six other earthquake incidents had occurred in the Kariba and surrounding areas, as well as the Hurungwe District in Zimbabwe.
Munodawafa had mentioned that the occurrence dates were 7th December, with a magnitude of 4.3, 8th December with a magnitude of 4.1, as well as two incidents on 11th December.
The two other earthquake incidents occurred on 20th December with magnitudes of 4.4 and 4.7, respectively.
Munodawafa stated that the earthquakes were primarily reservoir-induced seismic (RIS) activities that were triggered by not only the presence but also the water level fluctuations from the drawing down of the Kariba reservoir.
He explained that the earthquakes were not only limited to Kariba, as they had been reported from the filling and subsequent operation of several other large dams and reservoirs worldwide.