Mozmbique was one of the
poorest countries in the world,
with an HDI of just 0.327
52% of Mozambique's
population are under the
poverty line
Portugal initially had an 82% stake
and Mozambique only 19%, and as
they had to contract much of the
work to private companies, their
profits were diminished further, but
now Mozambique has full ownership
Portugal was the x-colonial ruler
of Mozambique, and it was their
idea to build the dam
The construction produces environmentally
clean energy and employment
the dam blocks the 4th largest
artificial lake in Africa, and is one of 3
major dams along the Zambezi River
which goes through Congo, Angola,
Zimbabwe, and finally Mozambique
it has created a lake that is 292Km long, up
to 32Km wide and a max. of 157m deep
Started in the 1960s and finished 30yrs later, although development
and use of the scheme was stunted by civil war 1977-1992.
Location map:
Key terms:
bilateral
top-down
long term
large-scale project
Effects?
Positive
Long term
the dam provides an important power
import facility to the South African grid,
transmitting 1920MW of power, and one
MW can power 1,000 average US homes
Most of the power is sold
to South Africa, boosts
the national economy
A Kapenta fishery industry has developed,
harvesting 10,000 tonnes in 2003
Negative
Short term
only 1% of Mozambique
actually have access to
electricity
so they cannot access what the
dam is producing
This level has hardly changed during the dam
The local shrimp industry has been destroyed
Long term
The dam could produce
more energy but its
potential is limited by other
upstream dams that keep
river flows very low
The potential for the dam
to reduce flooding has
been a disappointment as
floods downstream and on
other rivers occurred, which
are an environmental limit
to development which the
dams were hoped to
reduce
Even though selling the electricity to
South Africa benefits the economy, it
does not directly benefit the citizens
Success?
YES
It is a success because is
provides important power,
and has enabled
Mozambique to pay off
some of its debt. It is also a
long term investment,
allowing Mozambique to
eventually develop slightly,
and is a source of clean
electricit. Some success
has been experienced, but
with more careful planning
and control much more
could be achieved.
NO
It is not a success because even though it is generating
such large amounts of electricity, the people of Mozambique
cannot access it, and the dam would have a larger potential
if other dams were not further upstream. Furthermore the
dam was built to increase Mozambique's development, but
subsequent flooding has held it back even further