Kafue River

De 1,576 kilometres (979 mi) long Kafue River be de longest river lying wholly within Zambia. Ein water is used for irrigation , wey dem use am for generating hydroelectric power. E be de largest tributary for de Zambezi, den Zambia principal rivers, E sanso be de most central den de most urban. More dan 50% of Zambia's population live in de Kafue River Basin wey around 65% of dem are urban.

It has a mean flow rate of 320 cubic metres per second (11,000 cu ft/s) through its lower half, with high seasonal variations. The river discharges 10 cubic kilometres (2.4 cu mi) per year into the Zambezi River.

Ein course

Ein sources

De Kafue River rise at an elevation of 1,350 metres (4,430 ft) for de relatively flat plateau just south de border between Zambia den de Democratic Republic of de Congo 120 kilometres (75 mi) north-west of Chingola in de Copperbelt Province. De source of de Kafue River is in de North-western Province of Zambia. De area is Miombo woodland for de Congo-Zambezi watershed, plus many branching dambos lying 10 to 20 metres (33 to 66 ft) lower than de highest ground, producing a very gently undulating topography. De river starts as a trickle from de marshy dambos (de Munyanshi Swamp be tributary) plus little slope to speed up river flow, E dey meander south-eastwards sluggishly den within 50 kilometres (31 mi) has de character of a mature river. De area receives about 1,200 millimetres (47 in) of rain in de rainy season, den de river's channel soon reaches 100 metres (330 ft) wide plus a floodplain of fluvial dambos 1 to 2 kilometres (0.62 to 1.24 mi) wide.

Copperbelt

Before de river reaches the Copperbelt towns, however, e lose ein wide floodplain, de channel narrows to 30–40 m den e meanders less for shallow valley only 40 m or so lower dan de surrounding plateau. E dey flow close to de Copperbelt towns of Chililabombwe, Chingola den Mufulira, den athrough de outskirts of Kitwe. The popular picnic spot de Hippo Pool north of Chingola is protected as a national monument.

In the Copperbelt, water is taken from the river to irrigate small farms and market gardens. At Kitwe it changes course to the south-west and flows through forest and areas of flat rock over which it floods in the wet season, keeping to a channel about 50 m wide in the dry season.

This project heavily influenced development of Zambian Government policy on water resources and in February 2010, the Zambian Cabinet approved a revised National Water policy that "aims to improve water resources management by establishing institutional coordination, engaging in modern methods of integrated water resource management while decentralising government policy to address diverse interests within the water sector".

Tailings dam collapse

On 18 February 2025, a tailings dam belonging to a copper mine operated by Sino-Metals Leach Zambia collapsed in de Copperbelt Province, causing 50 million liters of waste containing concentrated acid, dissolved solids den heavy metals to enter a tributary of de Kafue River den prompting a shutdown of de water supply in Kitwe.

Itezhi-Tezhi and Kafue Gorge Dams

These get major negative environmental effects for de river.

Water for irrigation

Commercial plantations, especially those bordering de Kafue flats take large quantities of water for irrigation. Chief of these is de Nakambala Sugar Estate, which draws in excess of 720,000 m³ per day to irrigate 134.13 square kilometres of land to grow sugar cane.

References

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