The Mzingwane River is an ephemeral river with flow generally restricted to the months when rain takes place (November to March), with most flow recorded between December and February, except where it has been modified by dam operations.[2] The river contributes 9.3% of the mean annual runoff of the Limpopo Basin, making it the third largest tributary to the Limpopo basin.[1]
The lower Mzingwane River is a sand filled channel, with extensive alluvial aquifers in the river channel and below the alluvial plains. Estimated water resources potential of these aquifers ranges between 175,000 and 5,430,000 cubic metres (6,200,000 and 191,800,000 cu ft) in the channels and between 80,000 and 6,920,000 cubic metres (2,800,000 and 244,400,000 cu ft) in the plains. Currently, some of these aquifers are being used to provide water for domestic use, livestock watering and dip tanks, commercial irrigation and market gardening.[3]
Beitbridge town is located about 6 km ESE of the confluence of the Bubye River and the Limpopo on the border with South Africa. It was established in 1929.[4]
Bridges and crossings
[edit]Bertie Knott Bridge on the Mzingwane River near Beitbridge.
There are four main bridges over the Mzingwane River:
In addition to a number of small weirs, there are two major dams on the Mzingwane River:
Mzingwane Dam, built in 1962, with a full supply capacity of 42 MCM (million cubic metres). It is located near the source of the river and supplies water to the city of Bulawayo.
Zhovhe Dam, built in 1995, with a full supply capacity of 136 MCM. It is located near the confluence with the Limpopo River and supplies water for irrigation to Beitbridge
Additional dam sites have been identified at Glassblock and Oakley Block, but development is not currently scheduled.[5]
^ abGörgens, A.H.M.; Boroto, R.A. (1997). Limpopo River: flow balance anomalies, surprises and implications for integrated water resources management. Proceedings of the 8th South African National Hydrology Symposium. Pretoria.
^Love, D., Uhlenbrook, S., Nyabeze, W., Owen, R.J.S., Twomlow, S., Savenije, H. , Woltering, L. and van der Zaag, P. 2005. Modelling of hydrological change for IWRM planning: case study of the Mzingwane River, Limpopo Basin, Zimbabwe. In: Abstract Volume, 6th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium, Ezulwini, Swaziland, November 2005, p31.[1]
^Moyce, W., Mangeya, P., Owen, R. and Love, D. 2006. Alluvial aquifers in the Mzingwane Catchment: their distribution, properties, current usage and potential expansion. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, 31, 988-994. [2]