Rain has persisted in parts of the basin, particularly in Zambia and Malawi. This has ensured increased flows into the Zambezi from its major tributaries, the Shire, the Revobue, the Luenha and the Aruanga rivers.
Water continues to pour from the upper Zambezi into Cahora Bassa lake. The level of the lake thus continues to rise, despite the 40 per cent increase in discharges from the floodgates of the Cahora Bassa dam as from Thursday afternoon.
The DNA notes that the dam management is keeping discharges to around 3,550 cubic metres of water a second.
A red alert has now been declared along the whole Zambezi valley, from Zumbo on the border with Zimbabwe, to Marromeu, the district where the Zambezi flows into the Indian Ocean.
At every point, the Zambezi is now above flood alert level.
At Tete city, where the alert level is five metres, the river was measured at 5.45 metres on Saturday morning. It is thus likely that low-lying parts of the city will be inundated.
At Caia the river was measured at 6.08 metres, more than a metre above alert level, while at Marromeu, where the alert level is 4.75 metres, the Saturday morning measurement was 5.52 metres.
The DNA warns that the Zambezi will continue rising over at least the next 48 hours.
SOURCE: AIM
