Zambia endures 20+ hour power cuts as Lake Kariba's water levels drop, impacting electricity supply

[@chishalakabwe6231]

As a Zambian, all I can say is: "Bwafya."

[@chrome1994]

Bwafya sana mweh

[@Chiefwebe]

Chachine

[@Long_livetheking26]

Haha 😂 Bwafya tefintu

[@colourqueen22]

Sana fye

[@AmusedDesk-zc8zm]

Can say that again 😢

[@chikochiringa7247]

As a Zambian I can say power just comes to check if we are still alive and goes back

[@tembisombewe6457]

@@chikochiringa7247 lol..sounds like a joke though true for some areas

[@HaachitiNgandu]

😂😂😂😂

[@ArronMulunga]

yazakapeza tafa

[@theresachilufya818]

😂😂😂 it goes for long hours and is only restored for 2 to 3 hours everyday. Sometimes we'd stay for days without power

[@Elasindonel]

I was charging my power bank with a solar today ati k20 ai 😢

[@zviriko6850]

Zimbabwe and Zambia need to be serious

[@kangwamngandu3671]

Exactly

[@freedomrungamo5735]

20 hours has never been witnessed anywhere in sadc ,sa is facing the same but if after peak period there is no electricity kkkkk

[@kangwamngandu3671]

@freedomrungamo5735 Bro just pray for us its wild !!! Its 4 days not 20 hours

[@chrome1994]

@@zviriko6850 it's tough

[@Lu.711]

@@zviriko6850 how? Water levels dropping is a natural phenomenon 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@anthonymanderson7671]

What's upsetting is that ZESCO in these years didn't diversify their energy which could have reduced the reliance on hydroelectricity.

[@masonichisenga3032]

What happens to the coal from the coal mines, why aren't we running on that like Botswana? They haven't had a blackout in years!

[@MwelwaOnCos]

Exactly

[@joneschilufya867]

@@masonichisenga3032 they don’t want us to use coal because it doesn’t fit the climate change narrative.

[@alexkalimbwe]

@@masonichisenga3032 wait really? They rely on coal?

[@masonichisenga3032]

@alexkalimbwe Exactly, the whole country runs on coal power yet here we are, failing to manage our resources.

[@emmanuelmbelele5241]

And even now power is gone for two days straight😭

[@Elasindonel]

Same 😢

[@mulengasilwamba5132]

Three days and counting

[@kangwamngandu3671]

4 Days without power is ridiculous!! 4 DAYS !!!

[@bornifacengandu873]

In all fairness, this is a legacy issue. Imagine if Zambia started thinking "alternative energy" in 1970. Would we have been grappling with this today?

[@nchingazimba6110]

@@bornifacengandu873 top comment

[@nchingazimba6110]

Top comment

[@charlesmulenga6169]

As a Zambian 🇿🇲🇿🇲.. I just want to say the struggle is real😭😭😭

[@thechabala1993]

Zambia has been independent for more than 59 years and still experiencing this kind of problem?

[@bornifacengandu873]

Just imagine 😳. We are somehow not serious as a country

[@DogWick]

Our leaders lately are all corrupt puppets its a shame

[@kapambwekapambwe4131]

Independence doesnt mean anything when youre crippled with debt. These are capital projects that need a lot of money. Zesco itself has millions of debt that hasnt been paid yet. loadshedding will still be a thing 20yrs from now, we're just getting started

[@hildachungu857]

It's been a lack of foresight because the weather patterns have been coming since the 80's. Therefore relying on rainfall to fill the dam was short sighted . Solar could have been put in place long time before we got to this situation. But like everything else somehow investment in various industries and entities have never been priority. We have so much in this land but we seem to find a reason for not having much. We are very good at consuming but not producing. Drought is not new, it's happened before and gets worse as time goes by. Wake up call......maybe But we should have woken up 20+ years ago, definitely not 60 years after independence.

[@bornifacengandu873]

@@hildachungu857 💯

[@refigee8752]

This is why pushing for renewable energy in countries with a low carbon footprint but devastating climate change effects is just ridiculous. We aren't ready for heavy dependence on renewables yet in Africa

[@illgoat]

We are, we have an abundance of solar energy. What other energy source do you think can sustain us in the long run? We don't need to put a bandage on a broken arm.

[@chnchris]

Solar power is not stable, with power storage, the investment is not justified financially as Zambia electricity bill is too low😂😂

[@illgoat]

@@chnchris hydro is unstable because you don't know how much rain you'll get in year. With solar you are guaranteed the sun at least 3/4 of the year. If you had solar you wouldn't be worrying about loadshedding during the day on a sunny day like this. You'd be more worried about it in the evenings 🤣

[@Fezz016]

​@@illgoat Dude, Zambia might be blessed with a lot of sunshine, but what is vital is the cost of harnessing that sunshine and converting it into energy. People make the incorrect assumption that, because the sunshine is free... solar energy is therefore cheap. Well, setting up a 1 gigawatt solar energy farm is actually unaffordable for most African countries. Current cost estimate stands at $550 million per gigawatt and thats only 800 000 households per day.

[@jeffmwananyau1066]

Yiu are one of the few who understands what's happening They are pushing for this agenda that we completely move to renewable energy to save mother end They have to creat a crisis to speed up there agenda the this mad made drought is creating a good platform for that transition and it's coming with alot of devastation Order from chaos

[@nathanielnorth989]

It's become this serious?😭🤣 Aljazeera is Even covering it...

[@ginasandile]

@@nathanielnorth989 for real I'm even shocked

[@theresachilufya818]

Maybe you're experiencing it lesser than some of us😏

[@colourqueen22]

Maybe mwikala naba kateka 😂 some of us even go 3, almost 4 days

[@ahmedmugala4150]

Twapuba😅😅

[@nothingpersonal.5901]

Yesterday power just came for 23mins out of the whole 24hrs... It might sound unreal but that actually happened 😢😂

[@lombechewemukulu3767]

@@nothingpersonal.5901 are you for rea

[@nicholaszimba5799]

At least, 17 minutes here in Kaunda square

[@PhoenixOrtu]

We sleep with our lights on so you don't miss when power is restored...gor just 3hrs😢.

[@irenee800]

We know the pain of power cuts in South Africa .. all the best

[@saisan_ba8486]

@@irenee800 lol 🤣

[@palomoyo5896]

Such also exists in SA? I thought SA never had a problem with electricity

[@queenv.713]

@@irenee800 Thanks ....it's Agony indeed

[@tndza4831]

@@palomoyo5896 We've struggled since 2007, on & off but the last few years have been brutal! We had national elections earlier this year and it miraculously ended🤣

[@imranfaruk2672]

@irenee800 It's much more controlled in SA. Eskoms levels of loadshedding should be applauded. The power cut off schedules are maintained and the loadshedding is pretty fair. Zambians have a crisis atm as Zesco switches off for 48 hrs plus at a time.

[@vwambanjiworksonsilungwe2986]

Awe tasebana zoona napa Al Jazeera sure.

[@CC-2020]

@@vwambanjiworksonsilungwe2986 lol

[@GjjnVgt]

Naikosa league bane

[@Henry-cf4oo]

​@@GjjnVgt The league our president spoke of 😂

[@zedkuchalo]

Insoni, shuwa 😢😂

[@Muty-4u]

Twamonekela

[@kingkevin442]

Those Zambian schools look really nice,big up all zambians from Kenya..👍🇰🇪

[@mwenyalungu1348]

@@kingkevin442 it's actually a Private School. Rhodes Park School in Lusaka. Very expensive. The average school don't look like that.

[@hue_b929]

Currently sitting on 2days of power cuts.. 20hours was last month😓

[@miss.supernovaaa]

@@hue_b929 haven’t had electricity since Monday 😭😭 ZESCO has humbled me

[@jamesforrester6941]

Three years ago we had the wettest year on record in Zimbabwe and Zambia. The only reason there is no power is that both countries built more hydroelectric power stations way beyond the design outflow limits of the dam. Incompetence has led to a lack of consistent supply in the drier years and "free" electricity for government's to sell in the wetter years. Typical mismanagement that could have been avoided.

[@emmanuelbwembya6863]

"In Dubai,there is no rain but they have electricity 24/7, climate change should not be an excuse".....Fellow Zambians lets gather here and give that man a moment of silence😭😭

[@chrome1994]

Exactly..kuti wapapa.

[@theresachilufya818]

He promised us that when he was campaigning even. Now that the time has reached, kuli zee

[@chrome1994]

@@theresachilufya818 these people are the same mweh, niba mobene

[@yungking2801]

If you think this is one mans fault then you're dull. This is something that should have been predicted a couple of gov'ts back.

[@lubindalubinda5188]

It was easy to talk

[@ideostudios7176]

My beloved country, as much as we can attribute it to climatic changes, its the power utility’s failure to plan and implement future improvements over the years as a result of greed through politics

[@isaackapalamula777]

As am typing this from kitwe Zambia my phone is about to black out, oooooh no it's out now. I will come edit once I charge it. Thank you 😢😢😢😢

[@TheMightyKingzuru]

Blame it on Corruption.😮

[@mwambobwalya1405]

This isn't the Zambia ku Chalo we wanted to see

[@snowdaniels]

😂

[@kangwamngandu3671]

@@mwambobwalya1405 Right

[@britjj5126]

🤣🤣

[@abednegosteelo7813]

This is now a major issue I can say I'm privileged to have my battery at 76%❤

[@Turnocreat3s]

20 hours is an understatement we haven’t had power for 4 days straight

[@Nkosinathi-vh6di]

Eskom should use the SAPP to sell electricity to Zambia we have a big electricity surplus now + demand is not high now in SA.

[@zinhle_dladla]

Then load shedding will come back 24/7 🥴🥴 SA leaders are greedy they will use that as an excuse for load shedding

[@correspondance1]

I cant believe this is still going on. I was once a resident of Zambian in 2014 and back then load shedding was prevalent in the sub region, so I'm shocked its still going in there. Don't those two countries have coal reserves? Botswana generates most of its electricity from coal. I know we are just under 2.5 million but 10 years is a long time for any population.

[@kangwamngandu3671]

Botswana has serious people in charge , we have a bounce of jokers at ZESCO

[@zedkuchalo]

It stopped for a while after 2014, came back 2019-2020 then the "experts in charge" got comfortable and didn't put measures in place to mitigate risks. Also, what Kangwa said. Zambia is the most unserious country on earth.

[@Kernelkenrol]

Definitely the water 🌊💦 level at Kariba dam is so low. Nowadays relying on power electricity is the waste of time. It's all because of droughts which were enduring at the moment. God help us 😭😭🙏.

[@ProHunterX12]

As a Zambia this 20 hrs a day is the past, it's how 1hr a week. Only in the capital city of Lusaka do they enjoy 3-4 hrs of power a day.

[@Dfhhhnnfbn]

Stop lying call a spade a spade, companies are closing because they can't afford to run operations off 2 hrs of electricity,

[@johnsitumbeko732]

@@ProHunterX12 which capital? We have no power in Lusaka.

[@bornifacengandu873]

Where's that where power has not been had for 1 week boss?

[@Turnocreat3s]

@@bornifacengandu873kanyama last week Lusaka west hasn’t had power since Sunday

[@bornifacengandu873]

@Turnocreat3s mmmm ili bad in Lusaka. Kanyama didnt have power the whole of last week? I asked so cos I know the most hit is Lusaka and the comment said that there's a place outside Lusaka.

[@simendanamakando768]

Its a once in-a-while experience! The rural communities need the water & crops more than the electricity.

[@mukotheentertainer4793]

We've had all the time in the world to try and figure out other power source options. Now we have to do it under pressure 😩

[@SmilingCoastline-vb9ez]

And here I thought South Africa was mad for 4 hours of shedding

[@isaacmulenga3090]

This is one of the unserious government 😢citizens are suffering a lot and they want us to invest in solar or generators but they are costly

[@anthonymanderson7671]

It's so infuriating.

[@bornifacengandu873]

Are we being fair with each other here? If we are honest, do you think alternative sources can be put in place in just a few days? I think we should be commending the government for trying to divert to alternative sources than reliance on hydro cos honestly, this is a legacy issue.

[@Alfredlgo]

People don't know what they are talking about They think an alternative power source can be put up anywhere and at any time in just a few days​@@bornifacengandu873

[@Alfredlgo]

What do you suggest they might have done.?

[@bornifacengandu873]

@Alfredlgo I hear they have recalled power exports but still not enough. Most of our neighbors are also hit so imports may not really be reliable. The only reliable neighbor is Tanzania but we don't have a line to connect to them. They are building one right now. I also heard that diesel powered gensets are being installed in markets just to keep the business world running. Already, people have vandalized one in Lusaka 🤦🏾‍♂️. They have found some partners in solar production but it will take months to get it into production. The short term solutions are the gensets/solar in public and critical spaces. As a citizenry, we have to bite this bullet. I think they have tried to find mitigation measures but the measures won't be as quick as we'd all like. Imagine if we started thinking solar in 1970. Zambia became too comfortable with hydro and this is where we are

[@chosensiwale4293]

But we now have a government who before getting into power, said they could resolve this power deficit problem. So, what has happened now?

[@reubenmwansa8325]

@@chosensiwale4293 this is a legacy problem that should have been tackled 30years ago your can't solve this problem in 2 years with the current Economic impact on the global stage

[@ahmedkaden]

Correction, straight days without electricity, NOT 20+ hours

[@abdullahmwanza3120]

It's now 3 days without electricity.

[@MrSteadfast]

I don't know about Zimbabwe, but in Zambia in the 90s, when I lived/grew up there, we had electricity 247. Power failures lasting for even several hours were extremely rare. I blame the problem on the government's lack of planning and electric pricing controls.

[@sleepydoctor4344]

@@MrSteadfast power cuts in zim started in 2007-2008. Same time the economy was collapsing.

[@turnerzambia]

Watching this and we’ve been 5days without power

[@blessingbwalya5025]

The struggle is real.😢

[@chisangachali8646]

As a Zambian,all I can say is a big "YOO" and that this whole situation is the absolute ghetto 😢

[@ricfermi5886]

...my land, where I live, there hasn't been any rain, not a single drop of rainwater for the past four months. But, we are prepared, it takes long term works. Just complaining leads to nowhere.

[@zephaniah7387]

@@ricfermi5886 Sub-Saharan Africa is truly in tatters.

[@ricfermi5886]

@@zephaniah7387 Not only.

[@eyesontheprize19]

You know its definitely out of control when its even on AlJazeera.😢

[@shellazching]

Drone sound should be muted in video

[@a_Stoic19]

Known as loadsheding 😭

[@MusondaMwape-c4v]

God help our mother Zambia 🇿🇲

[@gertrudekamanga4670]

We going through alot 😢

[@Loveable_introvert]

I'm actually embarrassed that this is the kind of news we are making

[@britjj5126]

Imwe sure

[@GetrudeMumba-dr1ej]

May God almighty have mercy upon us 😭😭

[@isaacbamubabemwanza4009]

In same area we go upto 72 hours without power

[@Actor_bad24IK]

We must do everything to protect Congo forest ecosystem.

[@lawrencemukosiku5277]

And the funny thing is, even after 20 years, we will still be experiencing this same problem

[@safdarjamani1251]

In our area we received 2 hours of restoration after 30 or sometime 30+ hours of load shedding

[@Frddy152]

Guys.....this aint alright 🫠😭

[@thee_onderwyser]

were being shedded 36+ hours for an hour of electricity

[@gifthkauta2000]

Unfortunate 🥺

[@tauraisimatanga5650]

It’s an unfortunate situation to even stay in this country at this point 😢

[@anthonymanderson7671]

Exactly, you can feel like living a nation where loadshedding is rare like I do.

[@snapesquasar5883]

I just came here to allude to the fact that we're now experiencing more that 350 hours of total blackouts

[@seantreyfr]

Zambia Ku Chalooooo🔥🔥

[@MrZyange]

I can tell you this now. In Zambia solar power and generator power is the main source and kariba power is secondary.

[@Edward_Bwalya93]

Now you know not to depend on only one energy source

[@anthonymanderson7671]

@@Edward_Bwalya93 This is something our energy board in our country doesn't get.

[@mwizapawinamukwanya5311]

20+ hours when we have been going, 2 days or 3 days without power?? Threw away my relish today 😢

[@Elasindonel]

As a Zambian all I can say is I miss electricity 😢

[@leonardmhere304]

This is the right time They should look for that Nyaminyami thing

[@paulalinani8742]

It's actually 3 days now not 20 hrs.

[@richmanchifunga8907]

It's called Zambia Ku Chalo That's what we mean

[@britjj5126]

Not like this mwebantu 💀😭😂

[@josephlusanso-sf2pt]

we havent had power since monday morning and today is sunday 😢

[@bonzoukouassi1764]

This is no longer load shedding

[@Peter-jj9bs]

The govt must inform public institutions

[@steve9995]

Being a Zambian is not easy, friends

[@kalimachiswili7739]

Power goes for more than 3days here in Zambia

[@Cherry-n2r]

Currently typing in darkness 🙄

[@victorbarugahare8328]

We're limited by infrastructure and cost of a unit of power here in Uganda, but at least one thing Mr Museveni has done for us is have enough power for the country.

[@tekbase01]

It's very sad 💔

[@Asaphtembo-zi7ow]

It has been two days without electricity so this is what the problem is 😞

[@Bell-Power190]

Even Universities are not spared

[@vincentmbewe1651]

Its nit only drought but rehabilitation of the dam

[@luckyjones3104]

It's now 42 to 45 hours.

[@AbduwaliAdan-b3z]

Kwatu, electricity has now become a myth

[@thcorkabwe77]

Ms Mutasa, you are reporting in Zim zim this is Zambezi ('ia) we 're Ok

[@gie3973]

It's honestly unlivable. Especially in the hot season. Only God knows.

[@jandombambara]

5 days non stop load shedding we are experiencing.

[@cheliz5599]

It's not 20 hours of loadshedding. It's actually 6 days of loadshedding, power comes after 6 days and only lasts for 3 hours .

[@retjoe7780]

We only have power for 6 hours per week

[@mwandamamwikula3447]

As a zambian what i can say is power only comes back so that it can go again

[@thabo_sane_cholwe10]

As a zambian we need help

[@brightwellshakafuswa2204]

Zambia ma one

[@wilsonphiri1253]

We actually go upto 4 plus days without power.

[@la-ry1ms]

So a whole 60 years after independence a whole country relies on one dam for electricity

[@salifyanji2893]

We had electricity for 7 hours yesterday and it felt like a luxury 😅😅😅

[@snowdaniels]

3 days without power sucks but kinder peaceful though 😅

[@RichAunty1]

The silence is amazing innit. Being able to hear your thoughts clearly

[@snowdaniels]

@@RichAunty1 yes and not always looking on a screen has made me more productive, I work out more, even have time to think about my future and write them down and the best thing is granny is back from the village, night story times are the best 😊

[@britjj5126]

Not for business and households 😢 Stop romanticising a serious issue. what happens to frozen food? People who use laptops/ computers and machines for work etc, charging a mobile phone becomes a problem.

[@britjj5126]

​@snowdaniels that's nice if you're a single/young person with no responsibilities

[@RichAunty1]

@@britjj5126 there's a silver lining in EVERYTHING. Which part of lesser screen time, working out more & spending time with family is "romanticizing" a serious situation? Calm down. Buy a generator. Install solar panels. Or just calm down. You think we haven't experienced any of what you're complaining about? We're choosing to see the silver lining. Off I go to plan my "romantic" dinner in the dark😝😭😂

[@patrickkibombwe3174]

Ala bwafya bane

[@Zed-voices-of-the-youths]

still dont understand why Zesco didnt see this coming after we experienced the first loadshedding. The question i guess is, do they conduct future planning sessions as a team?

[@ladyblanche2695]

Power has been gone for 2 weeks straight

[@fortunec.4354]

I thought Zambia was doing ok, are they not friends with America?

[@Uncle_Andrew086]

Zambia Ku Chalo I guess. Horrible horrible time to be Zambian

[@getrudeboma131]

I wonder how the pupils in examination classes are copying with this situation 🤔. Thanks to Aljazeera for covering this story. Im sure some well wishers will come on board

[@ireenbanda625]

When such is on big media houses , look for the real story behind the news. If you know you kno

[@webstermkunda9200]

20 hours😆🤣😆it's days now..

[@marybwalya9389]

I just want to know, who is the water on the other side of the dam for?!

[@peternyirenda4134]

What amazes me is the folks in power could have mitigated this but did not. The projection of a drought and its impact on lake Kariba were highlighted way before its grave state now. Why didn’t they have alternative energy source? Sub Saharan Africa is a place with sunlight all the time, why didn’t they invest heavily in solar projects to power their nations? At the end of the day, our leaders fail us.