NEWS in brief
Around Africa
country’s water sector but for the country as a whole.
She said there is great potential for South African-Danish
partnerships in the water sector, which will help alleviate the
current challenges faced by the country.
“Communities will be uplifted and jobs will be created, and
both countries will greatly benefit,” she said.
Tanzania
country. But it is these plants are also now not working to
full capacity because of technical glitches.
“I cannot predict when this will be sorted out because of
the technical issues - we need to be patient so that all these
problems and challenges can be sorted out,” Ms Masoud
said. It’s said the country’s long rainy season is expected to
start in December.
Zambia
Closing hydropower plants
Zambia Drained World’s Biggest Dam Behind Crisis,
Scott Says
Kidatu Hydro-electricity power generation
All hydropower plants in Tanzania are being switched off
because a lack of rain has led to low water levels in the
country’s dams. Hydro-electricity generation has fallen to
20% of capacity, making it difficult for the dams to operate.
It is the first time the East African nation has closed all
hydro plants, which generate 35% of its electricity.
The power crisis has been made worse by problems at
new natural gas plants, an energy ministry official told the
BBC. The closing of the hydropower dams was beyond
the government’s control, said Badra Masoud, head of
communication at the ministry. “We cannot do anything
because of the changes in environment - we are not getting
enough rain.”
Ms Masoud said more people farming upstream from the
dams was not helping the situation, as this reduced the flow
of water. “We are trying to convince Tanzanians not to
farm upstream,” she said. According to Tanzania’s private
Citizen paper, the state-owned power company, Tanesco,
has already shut down its major Mtera hydropower plant,
which can generate 80 MW.
The country consumes 870 MW but it only currently
generates 105 MW, the paper says. Only 24% of mainland
Tanzania’s population is connected to electricity services.
The BBC’s Aboubakar Famau in the main city of Dar
es Salaam says those who can afford it tend to invest in
generators because of chronic shortages.
Tanesco also imports power from Kenya, Uganda and
Zambia. The government wants to increase the number of
people connected to the grid by 50% in the next 10 years.
Last month, three new gas power plants in Dar es Salaam
were turned on, using gas piped from the south of the
6
Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • November - December 2015
Kariba Dam
Zambia’s overuse of the world’s biggest man-made reservoir
to generate electricity has depleted its water levels, according
to Guy Scott, a former vice president who led the country
for three months until January this year. His comments
cont Ʌ