Tokwe Mukorsi Dam
| Tokwe Mukorsi Dam | |
|---|---|
  Location of Tokwe Mukorsi Dam in Zimbabwe | |
| Country | Zimbabwe |
| Location | Masvingo |
| Purpose | Water storage, flood control, irrigation, fisheries, power |
| Status | Under construction |
| Construction began | 1998 |
| Construction cost | US$200 million |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment, concrete-face rock-fill |
| Impounds | Tokwe River |
| Height | 90.3 m (296 ft) |
| Width (crest) | 8.5 m (28 ft) |
| Dam volume | 1,915,000 m3 (67,600,000 cu ft) |
| Reservoir | |
| Total capacity | 1,750×106 m3 (1,420,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Catchment area | 7,120 km2 (2,750 sq mi) |
| Surface area | 96.4 km2 (37.2 sq mi) |
| Maximum water depth | 82.7 m (271 ft) |
| Commission date | 2015 est. |
| Installed capacity | 12 MW (16,000 hp) |
The Tokwe Mukorsi Dam is an unfinished concrete-face rock-fill dam on the Tokwe River, just downstream of its confluence with the Mukorsi River, about 72 kilometres (45 mi) south of Masvingo in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe.[1] Construction on the dam began in June 1998 but stalled in 2008. Salini Impregilo began to finish the dam in 2011. Heavy flooding in February 2014 caused a partial failure on 4 February, on the downstream face of the dam.[2][3] By late February the dam had not been fully breached but the unplanned rising reservoir behind the dam caused evacuations upstream.[4] Both upstream and downstream, over 20,000 people were evacuated.[5] Construction of the dam was suspended in June 2014 due to a lack of funding.[6][7] The power station was expected to be commissioned by the end of 2015.[8] It is 90.3 metres (296 ft) tall and creates a 1,750,000,000 m3 (1,420,000 acre⋅ft) reservoir, the largest the in country. The associated hydroelectric power station will have a 12 megawatts (16,000 hp) installed capacity.[9]
In May 2016 the government released $35 million to Salini Impregilio to enable the Italian contractor resume construction work that stopped two years ago owing to payment problems. [10]
References
- ^ "Update:Flood water over Tokwe Mukorsi Dam" (PDF). ReliefWeb. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- ^ "Water gushes over crumbling dam wall in Zimbabwe". Digital Journal. 9 February 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- ^ "Tokwe - Mukorsi Dam". Salini Impregilo. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- ^ "Update: Tokwe Mukorsi dam in Zimbabwe". Digital Journal. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- ^ "In photos: The aftermath of Zimbabwe's Tokwe-Mukorsi dam disaster". Daily Maverick. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ^ "Tokwe-Mukorsi construction suspended". News Day. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ^ "Tokwe Mukosi dam complete". The Zimbabwean. 7 January 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- ^ "Zimbabwe: IDBZ to Issue U.S$65 Million Bonds for Power Projects". All Africa. The Herald. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- ^ "Cheap design linked to problems at Tokwe-Mukosi". Nehanda Radio. 15 February 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- ^ Tokwe-Mukosi Dam contractor resumes work