Page 125 - CIWA Water Data Revolution Overview Report

availability, with reduced rainfall and low utilizable outflows observed. On the other hand,

wet conditions in 2009, 2013, and 2021 resulted in higher rainfall and increased water

availability, particularly in 2021, which marked the highest outflow and utilizable outflow

recorded in the basin during the period.

60
Water Accounts Km 3 40
50

30
20
10

0
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

Rainfall Total ET Outflow Utilizable Outflow

Figure 12:Inter- annual variability of water accounts-Maputo basin (2003-2021).

3.15 The Zambezi River Basin

The Zambezi River Basin located in Southern Africa is a transboundary basin shared by eight

countries – Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and
Zimbabwe - that are dependent on their natural resources for their socio-economic

development. The basin lies within the fourth-largest basin in Africa, covering 1.397 million

2
Km and is home to nearly 30 million people. Water plays a vital role in the livelihoods of
people in the basin and in the promotion of economic growth, providing important
environmental goods and services to the region and is essential to regional food security and

hydropower production. Agriculture is the main economic activity in the basin and major

water user, with an estimated 65-70% of the population living in the basin engaged in both,

mall-scale rain-fed agriculture and commercial agriculture supported by irrigation.
Hydropower is also a critical activity in the basin and an important water user, with the Lake

Kariba and Lake Cahora Bassa the main reservoirs used for this purpose and holding a