Lake Kariba is an artificial
inland sea that covers 282 sq km of the Zambezi Valley. It is
the continent’s third largest dam, after Aswan in Egypt and
Cahora Bassa on the same river in neighbouring Mozambique. It is
something of a feat of both engineering and human endeavour that
the dam was built at all.
The resident Batonka (Tonga) people who had lived in this neck of
the woods for centuries were to be displaced by the dam in the 1950s.
They appealed to the Zambezi River God, the fish-headed, serpent-tailed
Nyaminyami, whose image, like the Zimbabwe bird, is another popular
motif in local curios.
Christmas Eve 1955 saw the beginning of a chain of dramatic events
that would see the drowning of the original town, the swamping of
the dam’s foundations and breaching of the main coffer dam,
the collapse of the suspension bridge across the Zambezi and the
death of 86 of the 10 000-strong Italian construction company. The
culmination came in March when a flood, the size of which is only
seen once in a thousand years, swept 18 workers into the wet concrete
of the unfinished wall. Four of the bodies were never recovered.
Against all these odds, the dam to produce hydroelectricity for both Zimbabwe and bordering Zambia, was completed in December
1958 and officially opened by the Queen Mother a year-and-a-half
later. Problems continued to arise, including the spread of Kariba
weed across the lake and prolonged years of drought which saw hydroelectric
capacity diminish to insufficient levels. There has been talk of
a second dam to supplement the dry years. Nyaminyami’s previous
displeasure seems to have been forgotten but the Batonka believe
that his anger is not yet spent.
The architect who designed the dam built two other dams worldwide,
both of which collapsed. The architect committed suicide. Another
notable achievement at the time of the dam’s construction
was Operation Noah. Rupert Fothergill, after whom Fothergill Island
in Matusadona National Park is named, led one of the biggest wildlife
rescue missions since Noah and his Ark.
His team tracked, captured and relocated up to five thousand animals
including lions and rhinos to save them from the rising waters.
Kariba town is now a very popular resort with an airport, harbour,
lakeside hotels and lodges, huge houseboats, marinas, water-sports
and fishing. It is also a commercial fishing centre with crane-like
kapenta rigs illuminating the night-time waters of the lake. At
the same time, the dam attracts vast quantities of game, both big
and small.
Huge Nile crocodiles inhabit the lake, as do many hippos, and it is
not uncommon to stumble into a herd of elephants on the lakeshore
or while walking through the bush.
Probably the nicest way to see the lake is from a relaxing houseboat
but make sure it has a swimming cage as you will need those cooling
dips.
Stunning sunsets are a distinctive feature of Kariba, as are the
bleached skeletal trunks and bare branches of dead trees that were
drowned in the dam all those years ago. They make excellent perches
for fish eagles, cormorants and other water birds.
|
 |
