Kariba, Zimbabwe
{{EngvarB|date=September 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name = Kariba
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|pushpin_map = Zimbabwe
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|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = {{flag|Zimbabwe}}
|subdivision_type1 = Province
|subdivision_name1 = Mashonaland West
|subdivision_type2 = District
|subdivision_name2 = Kariba District
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|population_footnotes = [https://www.citypopulation.de/en/zimbabwe/cities/ Citypopulation.de] Population of cities & urban localities in Zimbabwe
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|population_total = 27,600
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Kariba is a resort town in Mashonaland West province, Zimbabwe, located close to the Kariba Dam at the north-eastern end of Lake Kariba, near the Zambian border. According to the 2022 Population Census, the town had a population of 27,600.
Located in the Zambezi Valley, Kariba is well known for its balmy climate and proximity to Lake Kariba, that draws in thousands of tourists all year round.
History
The pre-colonial population of the area were Tonga.{{Cite book|last=Colson |first=Elizabeth |year=1971 |title=The social consequences of resettlement: The impact of the Kariba resettlement upon the Gwembe Tonga |series=Human problems of Kariba, No. 4 |location=Manchester, England |publisher=Manchester University Press on behalf of the Institute for African Studies, University of Zambia |isbn=978-0-7190-1033-0}}
The town was established to house workers who were constructing the dam in the mid to late 1950s and was constructed by the contractor Costain.{{Cite book|last=van der Lingen |first=M. I. |year=1973 |chapter=Lake Kariba: Early History and South Shore |editor-last1=Ackermann |editor-first1=William C. |editor-last2=White |editor-first2=Gilbert F. |editor-last3=Worthington |editor-first3=E. Barton |title=Man‐Made Lakes: Their Problems and Environmental Effects |series=Geophysical Monograph Series, volume 17 |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=American Geophysical Union |pages=132–142 |isbn=978-0-87590-017-9 |doi=10.1029/GM017p0132}} After the completion of the dam wall and the power station (Kariba South Power Station) quite a few impressive monuments were built in the early 1960s i.e. the Roman Catholic church located at the Kariba Heights (St. Barbara) and next to it the Pat McClean Theatre named after Patricia McClean a well known wealthy resident of Kariba Heights.
Geography
Kariba is located on Lake Kariba, a reservoir created by Kariba Dam on the Zambezi River.{{Cite book|editor-last1=Balon |editor-first1=Eugene K. |editor-last2=Coche |editor-first2=André G. |year=2012 |title=Lake Kariba: A man-made tropical ecosystem in Central Africa |series=Monographiae biologicae, volume 24 |location=Dordrecht |publisher=Springer Verlag |isbn=978-94-010-2334-4}}, reprint of the 1974 edition published by W. Junk. Kariba has three main suburbs: Mahombekombe, the older poorer lakeshore high density suburb, Nyamhunga the newer high density suburb and Kariba Heights, the wealthier hilltop suburb and location of the Operation Noah monument. As the name suggests the heights overlook the surrounding region and offer impressive views of Lake Kariba and the opposite lakeshore to the south.
The town has road links connecting it to Harare and to the border of Zambia. It is serviced by Kariba Airport, and has ferry service to Victoria Falls via Mlibizi Fishing camp.
Economy
Kariba town is the centre of the tourist industry for the Lake Kariba region.{{Cite news|last=Kawadza |first=Sydney |date=24 September 2018 |title=Resort areas must be accessible: VP Chiwenga |newspaper=The Herald |location=Harare, Zimbabwe |url=https://www.herald.co.zw/resort-areas-must-be-accessible-vp-chiwenga/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180924031228/https://www.herald.co.zw/resort-areas-must-be-accessible-vp-chiwenga/ |archive-date=24 September 2018 |url-status=live |df=dmy}} Kariba town provides accommodation in various hotels and lodges. There are two casinos in the town. Many of the attractions in Kariba for the tourist are water-based. Fishing, game-viewing and house-boating are the most popular activities. Tourists also visit the Kariba Dam wall and local crocodile farms.{{Cite journal|last=Revol |first=Brigitte |year=1995 |title=Crocodile farming and conservation, the example of Zimbabwe |journal=Biodiversity and Conservation |volume=4 |issue=3 |pages= 299–305 |doi=10.1007/BF00055975|s2cid=22195489 }}
The Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority ZESA employs workers in the hydroelectric power station. Kapenta fishing is also an important industry,{{Cite book|last1=Marshall |first1=B. E. |last2=Junor |first2=F. J. R. |last3=Langerman |first3=J. D. |year=1982 |title=Fisheries and fish production on the Zimbabwean side of Lake Kariba |series=Kariba studies, no. 10 |location=Salisbury, Rhodesia |publisher=Trustees of the National Museums of Rhodesia |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015013585305}}, reprinted by the Trustees of the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe. though it was affected by the nation-wide fuel shortages,{{Cite news |last=Dziva |first=Byron |date=10 July 2007 |title=Fuel shortage brings Zimbabwe to halt |newspaper=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1557048/Fuel-shortage-brings-Zimbabwe-to-halt.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110127175434/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1557048/Fuel-shortage-brings-Zimbabwe-to-halt.html |archive-date=27 January 2011 |url-status=live |df=dmy |access-date=25 September 2018 }}{{Cite news|title=Fuel shortage rocks Zim |date=6 September 2018 |newspaper=Newsday |url=https://www.newsday.co.zw/2018/09/fuel-shortage-rocks-zim/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180907125218/https://www.newsday.co.zw/2018/09/fuel-shortage-rocks-zim/ |archive-date=7 September 2018 |url-status=live |df=dmy}} and in the 2010s by drought.{{Cite news|last=Mugano |first=Farai |date=9 April 2016 |title=Hunger, power cuts in Zimbabwe, Zambia as lake hits record low |newspaper=Science X |url=https://phys.org/news/2016-04-hunger-power-zimbabwe-zambia-lake.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412085740/https://phys.org/news/2016-04-hunger-power-zimbabwe-zambia-lake.html |archive-date=12 April 2016 |url-status=live |df=dmy}}
ZB Bank Limited, a commercial bank, maintains a branch in Kariba.[http://allafrica.com/stories/201208171088.html ZB Bank Limited Opened Kariba Branch In 2012]
=Challenges=
In the twenty-first century, the town of Kariba faced many of the nation-wide problems brought on by the depressed national economy, including lack of foreign currency.{{Cite news|last=Chirinda |first=John Tafadzwa |date=25 September 2018 |title=Richard Kamhoti confirmed by Kariba |publisher=Bulawayo 24 News |url=https://bulawayo24.com/index-id-opinion-sc-columnist-byo-146016.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925130352/https://bulawayo24.com/index-id-opinion-sc-columnist-byo-146016.html |archive-date=25 September 2018 |url-status=live |df=dmy}}{{Cite news|last=Mangirazi |first=Nhau |title=Kariba town runs dry |date=6 September 2018 |newspaper=Newsday |location=Harae, Zimbabwe |url=https://www.newsday.co.zw/2018/09/kariba-town-runs-dry/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925151822/https://www.newsday.co.zw/2018/09/kariba-town-runs-dry/ |archive-date=25 September 2018 |url-status=live |df=dmy}} The town had difficulty in revenue collection.{{Cite news|last=Murwira |first=John |date=17 May 2018 |title=Kariba $11m debt |newspaper=The Herald |location=Harare, Zimbabwe |url=https://www.herald.co.zw/kariba-11m-debt/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616043039/https://www.herald.co.zw/kariba-11m-debt/ |archive-date=16 June 2018 |url-status=live |df=dmy}} As a result, its fleet did not receive proper maintenance nor replacements, which was also true of its water and sewage system, which suffered chronic pump breakdowns. Kariba also continued to have a large number of unoccupied housing units, left over from the construction boom, units which generated no income.
The restructuring of industry in the early nineties, followed by Zimbabwe economic crisis in the 2000s, greatly impacted Kariba's tourist potential. Many former visitors and residents were involved in trade and agriculture and the impact of the country's crisis led to a decline in domestic tourism as much of the middle class, who were the mainstay of Kariba's tourism industry began to emigrate. In addition a lack of investment in the city's airport and infrastructure has seen the city fall behind to nearby destinations such as Livingstone and Victoria Falls, which offer easy access to Johannesburg, Dubai and London. Once ubiquitous, South African tourists increasingly prefer cheaper and more accessible destinations like Mauritius, Tofo Beach and Pemba. As a result, its population has stagnated to fewer than 30,000 inhabitants today.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/one-of-africas-biggest-dams-is-falling-apart|title=One of Africa's Biggest Dams is Falling Apart|magazine=The New Yorker |date=2 February 2016 |last1=Leslie |first1=Jacques }}
Another challenge to the town, is the increasingly outdated infrastructure, particularly Kariba Dam. Years of under-investment threaten the longevity of the dam and its ability to generate power, posing a challenge to the economies of Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Climate
{{Weather box
|location = Kariba (1961–1990)
|single line = Yes
|metric first = Yes
|Jan high C = 31.0
|Feb high C = 30.8
|Mar high C = 31.2
|Apr high C = 30.5
|May high C = 28.5
|Jun high C = 26.3
|Jul high C = 26.3
|Aug high C = 28.9
|Sep high C = 32.9
|Oct high C = 35.1
|Nov high C = 33.9
|Dec high C = 31.3
|year high C = 30.6
|Jan low C = 21.8
|Feb low C = 21.4
|Mar low C = 20.7
|Apr low C = 18.5
|May low C = 14.3
|Jun low C = 11.2
|Jul low C = 11.1
|Aug low C = 13.9
|Sep low C = 19.1
|Oct low C = 23.2
|Nov low C = 23.4
|Dec low C = 22.1
|year low C = 18.4
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 191.6
|Feb rain mm = 157.7
|Mar rain mm = 112.5
|Apr rain mm = 30.0
|May rain mm = 4.2
|Jun rain mm = 1.0
|Jul rain mm = 0.6
|Aug rain mm = 0.1
|Sep rain mm = 0.6
|Oct rain mm = 17.8
|Nov rain mm = 74.4
|Dec rain mm = 175.0
|year rain mm = 765.5
|Jan rain days = 16
|Feb rain days = 13
|Mar rain days = 10
|Apr rain days = 3
|May rain days = 1
|Jun rain days = 0
|Jul rain days = 0
|Aug rain days = 0
|Sep rain days = 0
|Oct rain days = 2
|Nov rain days = 7
|Dec rain days = 14
|year rain days = 66
|source 1 = World Meteorological Organization{{cite web
| url = http://worldweather.wmo.int/en/city.html?cityId=966
| title = World Weather Information Service – Kariba
| publisher = World Meteorological Organization
| access-date = 13 May 2016}}
}}
Kariba has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw), with warm winters and very hot summers, and a marked drier season in the winter. Although it is relatively cooler than typical tropical places in the winter and does get occasional {{cvt|5|°C}} lows, Kariba nevertheless meets the minimum requirements to be in the savanna climate zone, making it one of few locations in Zimbabwe within this classification. The city's low elevation by Zimbabwean standards, lakeside location, northern locality, and proximity to the Intertropical Convergence Zone shape its climate. Average winter high temperatures, from May to August, range from {{cvt|76.4 to 80.3|°F|order=flip}}. July is the coolest month with an average daily temperature of {{cvt|68.2|°F|order=flip}}. Low temperatures fall below {{cvt|10|°C}} about 10–15 nights during the winter season, after the passage of cold fronts from the south east that may sometimes produce winter precipitation.{{Cite web|url=http://www.whatstheweatherlike.org/zimbabwe/kariba.htm|title=Kariba climate info | what's the weather like in Kariba, Zimbabwe}}
Education
- Kariba Heights Primary School
- Nyamhunga High School
- Nyanhewe Primary School
- Mahombekombe Secondary School
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Clear}}
{{Geography of Zimbabwe}}
{{Authority control}}