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Tokwe Mukorsi Dam

Coordinates: 21°03′46.25″S 30°23′39.99″E / 21.0628472°S 30.3944417°E / -21.0628472; 30.3944417
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Tokwe Mukosi Dam
Tokwe Mukorsi Dam is located in Zimbabwe
Tokwe Mukorsi Dam
Location of Tokwe Mukosi Dam in Zimbabwe
CountryZimbabwe
LocationMasvingo Province close to Ngundu
Coordinates21°03′46.25″S 30°23′39.99″E / 21.0628472°S 30.3944417°E / -21.0628472; 30.3944417
PurposeWater storage, flood control, irrigation, fisheries, power
StatusOperational
Construction began1998
Opening date2016
Construction costUS$200 million
Dam and spillways
Type of damEmbankment, concrete-face rock-fill
ImpoundsTokwe River
Height90.3 m (296 ft)
Width (crest)8.5 m (28 ft)
Dam volume1,915,000 m3 (67,600,000 cu ft)
Reservoir
Total capacity1,750×10^6 m3 (1,420,000 acre⋅ft)
Catchment area7,120 km2 (2,750 sq mi)
Surface area96.4 km2 (37.2 sq mi)
Maximum water depth82.7 m (271 ft)
Commission dateMay 2017
Installed capacity12 MW (16,000 hp)

The Tokwe Mukosi Dam is a concrete-face rock-fill dam on the Tokwe River, just downstream of its confluence with the Mukosi River, about 72 kilometres (45 mi) south of Masvingo in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe.[1] It is 90.3 metres (296 ft) tall and creates a 1,750,000,000 m3 (1,420,000 acre⋅ft) reservoir, the largest inland dam in the country. The associated hydroelectric power station has a 12 megawatts (16,000 hp) installed capacity.[2]

Construction on the dam began in June 1998 but stalled in 2008. Salini Impregilo began to finish the dam in 2011. Heavy flooding in February 2014 caused a partial failure on 4 February, on the downstream face of the dam.[3][4] By late February the dam had not been fully breached but the unplanned rising reservoir behind the dam caused evacuations upstream.[5] Both upstream and downstream, over 20,000 people were evacuated.[6] Construction of the dam was suspended in June 2014 due to a lack of funding.[7][8] In May 2016 the government released $35 million to Salini Impregilio[9] to enable the Italian contractor resume construction work that stopped two years ago owing to payment problems.[10] The Dam was eventually completed in December 2016 and commissioned in May 2017.[11]

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References

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  1. ^ "Update:Flood water over Tokwe Mukorsi Dam" (PDF). ReliefWeb. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  2. ^ "Cheap design linked to problems at Tokwe-Mukosi". Nehanda Radio. 15 February 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  3. ^ "Water gushes over crumbling dam wall in Zimbabwe". Digital Journal. 9 February 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  4. ^ "Tokwe - Mukorsi Dam". Salini Impregilo. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  5. ^ "Update: Tokwe Mukorsi dam in Zimbabwe". Digital Journal. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  6. ^ "In photos: The aftermath of Zimbabwe's Tokwe-Mukorsi dam disaster". Daily Maverick. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  7. ^ "Tokwe-Mukorsi construction suspended". News Day. 26 June 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  8. ^ "Tokwe Mukosi dam complete". The Zimbabwean. 7 January 2015. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  9. ^ "webuild". www.webuildgroup.com. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  10. ^ Tokwe-Mukosi Dam contractor resumes work
  11. ^ "Facts | Tugwi Mukosi Dam Frequently Asked Questions". www.tugwimukosidam.com. 9 September 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2023.