The Zambezi River has been at its lowest level in five years, hitting a low of 0.30 centimetres measured on Tuesday afternoon compared to a reading of 0.90 centimetres at the same time last year.

This is according to the Namibia Water Corporation’s (NamWater) water works assistant, Nalisa Mapenzi, who on Tuesday told Nampa that the low water levels in the Zambezi River have devastating effects on the operations of the company, saying if it (water) is too low, it is bad, as it could damage the water infrastructure.

“I just hope that it continues to rain so that we see a surge in the rise of the water levels of the Zambezi River from our Namibian side. Water infrastructure is an essential framework that ensures and enables the continuous flow of clean potable water to our homes, businesses, and industries,” he said.

Water is life, and the persistent drought experienced in the country has affected crop yields and made hydroelectric power generation in other countries sharing the Zambezi River almost impossible, Mapenzi added.

He noted that by last Wednesday, the water level stood at 0.15 centimetres compared to a reading of 1.25 meters in 2019.

In a normal peak season, the Zambezi River always rises above five meters.

“Should it continue to rain, and water continues to rise as it is now, then we won’t struggle to pump water in the coming months,” he said.