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Cahora Bassa: an introductionFrom Wikipedia,

Cahora Bassa

A partial view of Cahora Bassa from space.Location Mozambique

Coordinates1540 !150" # 15.$$%

!1.&!!" Coor'i(ates ) 1540 !150" # 15.$$% !1.&!!"

Lake type *eservoir Primary inflows +ambezi *iver Primaryoutflows +ambezi *iver

Catchment area 5$,- % /m

Basin countries Mozambique

Max. length - /mMax. width !& /mSurface area ,%!- /mAverage depth 0.- mMax. depth 15% m

ater volume 55.& /mSurfaceelevation !14 m

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Location in Mozambique

The Cahora Bassa lakein the Portuguese colonial era (until 1 !"# kno$n as CaboraBassa , %rom&'ung$e Kahoura-Bassa , meaning %inish the )ob is *%rica+s %ourth largestarti%icial lake, situated in the Tete Pro-ince in Mozambique . /n *%rica, onl' Lake 0olta in

hana ,Lake 2ariba , on the 3ambezi upstream o% 4ahora 5assa, and 6g'pt +s Lake&asser are bigger in terms o% sur%ace $ater.

Contents

1 7istor'o 1.1 Portuguese periodo 1.8 /ndependent Mozambique

8 9elated economic acti-ities : ;ee also " 9e%erences < 6=ternal links

History Portuguese periodThe 4ahora 5assa ;'stem started in the late 1 >?s as a pro)ect o% the Portuguese inthe @-erseas Pro-ince o% Mozambique . ;outh *%rican o-ernments $ere also in-ol-ed inan agreement stating that Portugal $ould build and operate a h'droelectric generatingstation at 4ahora 5assa together $ith the high -oltage direct current (70A4# transmissions'stem required to bring electricit' to the border o% ;outh *%rica. ;outh *%rica, on the otherhand, undertook to build and operate the *pollo con-erter station and part o% thetransmission s'stem required to bring the electricit' %rom the ;outh *%ricanBMozambicanborder to the *pollo con-erter station near Midrand . ;outh *%rica $as then obliged to bu'electricit' that Portugal $as obliged to suppl'.

Auring its construction, the dam site $as repeatedl' attacked $ithout successb' Frelimo guerrilla insurgents in an attempt to sabotage the pro)ect. Portugal increased

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozambiquehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyungwe_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tete_Provincehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozambiquehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozambiquehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Voltahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Voltahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Karibahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Karibahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nasserhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nasserhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nasserhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahora_Bassa#Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahora_Bassa#Portuguese_periodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahora_Bassa#Independent_Mozambiquehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahora_Bassa#Related_economic_activitieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahora_Bassa#See_alsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahora_Bassa#Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahora_Bassa#External_linkshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Province_of_Mozambiquehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Province_of_Mozambiquehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahora_Bassa_(HVDC)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahora_Bassa_(HVDC)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahora_Bassa_(HVDC)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midrandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midrandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frelimohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mozambique_relief_location_map.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozambiquehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyungwe_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tete_Provincehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozambiquehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Voltahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Karibahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nasserhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nasserhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahora_Bassa#Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahora_Bassa#Portuguese_periodhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahora_Bassa#Independent_Mozambiquehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahora_Bassa#Related_economic_activitieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahora_Bassa#See_alsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahora_Bassa#Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahora_Bassa#External_linkshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overseas_Province_of_Mozambiquehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahora_Bassa_(HVDC)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahora_Bassa_(HVDC)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midrandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frelimo

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popular support in Mozambique $ith this and other de-elopment $orks (see MozambicanWar o% /ndependence #. The dam began to %ill in Aecember 1 !".

Cntil 8??! the dam $as operated b' 7idroelDctrica de 4ahora 5assa and )ointl' o$ned b'Mozambique, $ith an 1E equit' stake, and Portugal , $hich held the remaining E8equit'. @n &o-ember 8!, 8??! Mozambique assumed control o% the dam %rom Portugal. G1H /n

8??!, Portugal sold to Mozambique most o% its E8 percent stake in the 4ahora 5assah'droelectric po$er %acilit' in the ;outheast *%rican countr'. Finance Minister FernandoTei=eira dos ;antos said Portugal $ould collect C;I

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re%urbishment period, T*P de-eloped and implemented -arious designs and constructionmethods to impro-e the o-erall programme schedules and pro)ect costs. /n spite o% thee=treme conditions $ithin $hich the' had to re%urbish and reconstruct these lines, the $ork$as completed $ithin schedule and $ith a limited budget. The lines ha-e, since completion,been sub)ect to numerous tests and energised to its %ull potential. *bout 1,1?? people $ereemplo'ed during the peak periods o% construction.

The rain%alls and se-ere %looding during Februar' 8??? in the Limpopo 9i-er -alle' againcaused considerable damage to both lines to the e=tent that about 1? to$ers collapsed andneed to be reconstructed $ithin the shortest possible time%rame to restore the po$er suppl'to ;outh *%rica. T*P $as again entrusted b' 745 $ith the engineering, procurement andconstruction management ser-ices. T*P managed to temporaril' restore po$er suppl'through the one line $hile a more permanent solution could be carried out on the other line.The reconstructed line is used to carr' the %ull line capacit'. T*P had to implementuncon-entional construction techniques to reco-er temporar' suppl'. The suspensionto$ers ne=t to the ri-er crossing posed a signi%icant challenge %or a temporar' po$ersolution to obtain the required clearances o% the !11 metre le-el terrain span.

@n *pril 8!, 8?? %our %oreign nationals $ere arrested %or putting a highl' corrosi-e

substance into the lake in an alleged attempt to sabotage the po$er station.G"H

The arrestedclaimed to be a team %rom @rgonise *%rica, placing @rgonite pieces in the lake to impro-ethe qualit' o% etheric energ' (li%e %orce# o% the dam.

Related economic activitiesMost o% the electricit' generated b' 4ahora 5assa, $hich is located on the 3ambezi 9i-erin $estern Mozambique, is sold to nearb' ;outh *%rica. /n 8??>, 4ahora 5assa transmittedabout 1, 8? mega$atts o% po$er, but the in%rastructure is capable o% higher productionle-els and the compan' had plans to almost double its output b' 8??E. /n 1 " the totalinstalled capacit' in Mozambique $as 8,"?? MW o% $hich 1 $as h'droelectric.

* considerable kapenta %isher' has de-eloped in the reser-oir. The kapenta is assumed tooriginate %rom Lake 2ariba $here it $as introduced %rom Lake Tangan'ika . *nnual catch o%kapenta in the 4ahora 5assa dam in 8??: e=ceeded 1?,??? tonnes.

/t is $idel' belie-ed that there is a breeding colon' o% 3ambezi ;hark trapped inside thedam. *s the 5ull ;hark is kno$n to tra-el more than 1?? km upstream, this phenomenondoes not con%lict $ith e=isting scienti%ic and biological %act. /n particular an ocean d$ellingspecies, bull sharks are per%ectl' capable o% li-ing in %resh $ater %or their entire li%espan.Local tribes ha-e indeed reported sightings (and attacks# b' this isolated communit' o%shark, although these ha-e 'et to be substantiated $ith hard e-idence.

.

References1. Jump up Mozambique assumes control o% 4ahora 5assa /@L8. Jump up Terminski, 5ogumil Ae-elopment /nduced Aisplacement and

9esettlementN Theoretical Frame$orks and 4urrent 4hallenges , /ndianaCni-ersit', 8?1:, a-ailable atN httpNBBdlc.dlib.indiana.eduBdlcBhandleB1?

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". Jump up httpNBB$$$.iol.co.zaBinde=.phpOsetSid 1RclickSid >ERartSid n$8?? ?