Hunger, power cuts in Zimbabwe, Zambia as lake level hits record low

Lake Kariba on the Zambezi river border between Zimbabwe and Zambia used to be dotted with hundreds of commercial fishing rigs, while local fishermen in small makeshift boats would catch enough bream for their livelihood.

Now the fishermen are standing on shore praying for rain as drought has shrunk the water level of the world’s biggest man-made lake by volume to a record low.

“It’s so bad that on a bad day you can catch just a couple of fish, just enough to eat on the day or exchange for cooking oil or a small packet of cornmeal,” said one of them, Cyril Murinda.

“We just hope that God hears our pleas for rain and the dam fills up so that we can get back to fishing, otherwise we will just starve.”

Lake Kariba has fallen to 12 per cent of its capacity, hitting the fishing industry and also vital hydroelectric power production in Zambia and Zimbabwe, according to the dam’s operators...
 [AFP - gulfnews.com]
9/4/16
--
-

-

• Zimbabwe Declares ’State of Disaster’ over Drought  

• S. Africa facing the worst drought since 1960s (official) 

• Zimbabwe to relocate more elephants to China