NRWA alerts people living along the shores of Lake Malawi and Shire River to be prepared for increased water levels

* Levels as at August 26, 2024 were 475.70 metres above the sea level (masl)

* The levels were 475.28 masl on the same dates last year — representing an increase of 42cm higher

* While the highest recorded level this year was 476.38 masl, that was attained from April 21-25, 2024

By Duncan Malawi

National Water Resources Authority (NRWA) alerts people living along the shores of Lake Malawi and Shire River to be prepared for increased water levels in the coming 2024/25 hydrological (rainfall) year from December 1, 2024.

The Authority, which is mandated by Malawi’s Water Resources Act (2016) to regulate, manage, conserve, use, develop and control water resources in Malawi, informs the public that Lake Malawi’s levels as at August 26, 2024 were 475.70 metres above the sea level (masl).

The levels were 475.28 masl on the same dates last year — representing an increase of 42cm higher while the highest recorded level this year was 476.38 masl, that was attained from April 21-25, 2024.

From April 26, NRWA reports that the levels have been going down, hence the current level 475.77 masl, saying: “The Lake Malawi levels this year are the recorded second highest to the 1989 levels which reached 477.22 masl since 1900.

“The increase had been attributed to increased rains in the Northern Region of Malawi as well as the Tanzanian side which are the main catchment of Lake Malawi.

“The increase has been accelerated by the previous year’s adequate stored water in the lakes,” says NWRA in a statement issued yesterday, August 31 as an alert of lakeshore residents since the Authority “is aware that the increase in Lake Malawi levels resulted in some infrastructure being submerged in water along the lake”.

“In response to the increased lake levels, NRWA increased the water release at Kamuzu Barrage at Liwonde to 1,000m3/s,” says the public notice. “This release is very high against the normal of 350m3/s.

“At this release, some of the infrastructure downstream the barrage also got affected. NRWA operates Kamuzu Barrage through the use of the model called Kamuzu Barawe Operational Model and the predictions from the model show that the lake level will be at 475.22 masl come 1st December, 2024 — which is generally the onset of the rainy season.

“Last year on the same December 1, the lake level was 475 masl. This entails that the lake level by December 2024 will be 22cm higher than the previous year.

“It is therefore very likely that in the 2024/25 hydrological year, the water levels of Lake Malawi will increase even higher than what was experienced this season. This would be exacerbated by the La Niña climatic prediction that the country would experience in the 2024/25 rainfall year.”

From last year, Malawi experienced El Niño climate phenomenon that emerges from variations in winds and sea surface temperatures over the tropical Pacific Ocean.

The warming phase of the sea surface temperature is known as El Niño while the cooling phase is La Niña, as according to National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration.

La Niña (Spanish for Little Girl) has the opposite effect of El Niño ad during La Niña events, trade winds are even stronger than usual, pushing more warm water toward Asia and National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration indicates that during a La Niña year, winter temperatures are warmer than normal in the South and cooler than normal in the North. La Niña can also lead to a severe hurricane season.

NRWA emphasises that it is empowered to gather and maintain information on water resources and from time to time publish forecasts, projections and information on water resources (Water Resources Act, section 10 part 1-h).

Thus in line with the mandate, the authority publicises the state of Lake Malawi as at August 26, 2024 within the 2023/24 hydrological year and further reiterates that “it is against the law to carry out any activity like construction or cultivation below 477 masl contour line along Lake Malawi”.

“Any would-be developer along the shores of Lake Malawi should consult NWRA for technical guidance on the matter,” says the Authority while assuring the general public and all stakeholders that it will continue to sustainably manage, protect and monitor the Lake Malawi-Shire River system “to its best for the socio-economic benefit of the country”.

It further pledges to continue updating the public of the state of water levels of Lake Malawi “for their informed decision making”.

When the Lake Malawi water levels increased, many people who constructed on the  lakeshore and Shire River banks were ill-informed that NRWA had closed the Kamuzu Barrage — to which the Authority clarified at that time that it increased the water release at the barrage.

It now reports that it increased the water flow to 1,000m3/s, which is very high against the normal of 350m3/s.

Some other experts and observers maintain that in some parts of the lakeshore, people illegally constructed their house structures mostly in wetlands and that the Lake is just reclaiming its space.