Kariba Region Rocked by Series of Small Earthquakes

Zambezi River Authority Confirms Series of Seismic Incidents

By Staff Reporter

In a press statement released earlier today, the Zambezi River Authority has confirmed a series of earthquake incidents in the Kariba region and surrounding areas. The latest earthquake, which had a 4.9 Richter scale reading, struck at 23 December 2024 with an epicentre of approximately 19km south east of the Kariba Dam.

The Authority also reported that since December 1, 2024, there have been six other earthquake incidences in the region at magnitudes between 4.1 to 4.7. The epicenters were within the Kariba reservoir or the Charara Safari Area.

The Authority has, therefore, assured the public that these are reservoir-induced seismic activities, mainly caused by water level changes in the Kariba reservoir. The same has been reported elsewhere in the world after filling and operation of large dams and reservoirs.

ZRA said it’s not the scale of the earthquakes it looks at, rather the ground accelerations or vibrations caused by the events, depending on things like the distance and depth of the epicentre.

Inspections and review of data from various monitoring instruments have confirmed that the dam continued to perform within normal ranges after the occurrence of the earthquakes, showing no indications of anything out of the ordinary.

“The safety of the Kariba Dam is our priority,” said Eng. Munyaradzi C. Munodawafa, Chief Executive of the Zambezi River Authority. “We are committed to ensuring long-term safety and reliability for the dam for public safety and the benefit of the region.” He reassured that this was within the remit of making the region, the Republic of Zambia, and Zimbabwe safe, through the operations.

The Zambezi River Authority is an organization jointly owned by the governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe. It has its principal function of operating, maintaining, monitoring, and regulating the water level in the Kariba Reservoir.