HARARE-- Mozambican hydro-electric company Cahora Bassa Hydroelectric (HCB) will host the first meeting of hydrologists of the Joint Operations Technical Committee (JOTC) of the Zambezi Basin in Maputo this week to discuss the drought currently affecting the area.
The JOTC is an international co-operation platform within the Southern African Development Community (SADC), comprising water management institutions and dams operating in the Zambezi Basin, which covers Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia, to enable the sharing of hydrological and meteorological information in order to optimize exploitation of reservoirs and production of electricity in the basin.
A media statement received from HCB says the meeting to be held from Wednesday to Friday willdefine best practices to mitigate the drought, analyse weather forecasts, and plan strategies for three dams -- Cahora Bassa (Mozambique), Kariba (Zimbabwe/Zambia) and Kafue Gorge (Zambia) for the remainder of this year.
"The 1st JOTC Hydrologists meeting follows recommendations of the 17th JOTC Executive Meeting held in Kariba, Zimbabwe, in February this year, as well as the hydrological situation of the last four years, characterised by weak rainfall throughout the southern region of Africa, and culminating in cyclical events of droughts with particular negative impact on the production of hydroelectric power," it added.
Consisting of a Technical and an Executive Committee, the JOTC was created in 1999 and currently has as members the HCB, the Zambezi Regional Water Authority (ARA-Zambezi), the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA), Zambia Electricity Supply Company (ZESCO-Ltd), Water Resources Management Authority of Zambia (WARMA), Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZiNWA), and the Zimbabwe Power Corporation (ZPC).
Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK
