Zambia, a country blessed with the mighty Zambezi River and the colossal hydro-powered Kariba Dam, is paradoxically facing its worst electricity crisis in living memory. The nation is experiencing prolonged power cuts, with some areas enduring up to three consecutive days without electricity. In a country where 43% of the population is connected to the grid, this has come as a rude shock to millions who have always taken electricity for granted.
The current crisis is deeply intertwined with one of the severest droughts in decades, exacerbated by the El Niño weather phenomenon. The drought has crippled Zambia’s power generation capacity, leaving both businesses and households in turmoil. The Kariba Dam, Zambia’s main source of hydroelectric power, is functioning at a mere fraction of its capacity, contributing significantly to the power shortages.
Zambia sources up to 84% of its electricity from water bodies like lakes and rivers, particularly from hydroelectric plants such as Kariba. Coal accounts for only 13%, while solar, diesel, and heavy fuel oil make up a meager 3%. Thus, Zambia’s reliance on hydro-power makes it highly vulnerable to fluctuations in rainfall and water levels. This year’s drought has been catastrophic, drying up reservoirs and severely reducing the country’s ability to generate electricity.
Cities and towns across the nation have been left in darkness for extended periods, with some areas receiving electricity for only an hour or two each day. The crisis has affected every aspect of life, from households to hospitals, schools, and industries. “I have never seen anything like this in my life,” said Miriam Zulu, a resident of Lusaka. “We are lucky if we get two hours of power in a day. The rest of the time, we sit in the dark, hoping the lights will come back on.”
A Nation Dependent on Hydropower
The Kariba Dam, located on the Zambezi River, has been central to Zambia’s energy infrastructure since it was built in the 1950s. The dam is a crucial part of Zambia’s power grid, with its vast reservoir and power station at Kariba North Bank serving as the country’s largest source of electricity. A corresponding power station on the opposite bank provides power to Zimbabwe.
However, the ongoing drought has drastically reduced water levels in the Zambezi, leading to a major decline in electricity generation. Currently, only one of the six turbines at Zambia’s Kariba power station is operational, producing a meager 7% of the dam’s 1,080 MW capacity.
Engineer Cephas Museba, who has worked for the state-owned power utility Zesco for nearly two decades, shared his concerns about the future. “I’ve never seen the water levels so low,” he explained. “We stopped receiving rain in February, and it’s supposed to rain until April. This is the lowest water level we’ve recorded in this basin.” This reduction in hydropower has had a devastating impact on Zambia’s electricity supply. The country’s reliance on Kariba, once its strength, has now become a critical vulnerability.
The electricity crisis is not only an inconvenience—it is disrupting daily life in profound ways. Across Zambia, businesses are scaling back their operations due to the high cost of running generators, while some are forced to close entirely. Factories and offices are operating for fewer hours, and workers are being laid off as companies try to manage costs.
In the service sector, restaurants, bars, and shops are struggling to stay open. Many customers frequent bars and eateries not to eat or drink, but simply to charge their phones amid the deafening sound of diesel generators.
“There is a booming business in phone charging,” says Charles Njobvu, a shop owner in Lusaka. “People without power come to us to charge their phones for a small fee. It’s not much, but it’s something to get by.”
Hospitals and clinics have been hit particularly hard. Although some critical facilities have access to backup generators, the frequent outages mean that essential medical services are disrupted. Patients requiring life-saving treatments, such as those undergoing dialysis, are finding it increasingly difficult to access the necessary power for their medical machines.
“Our kidney patients suffer the most,” said Dr. Hilda Mukonka, a nephrologist at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka. “Some of them need to be on a dialysis machine for hours each day, but with the power coming on only for an hour or two, it’s impossible to give them the care they need.”
In February, President Hakainde Hichilema declared the drought a national disaster. The government has scrambled to find solutions, but progress has been slow. Financial constraints have prevented Zambia from importing the amount of electricity needed to alleviate the crisis. Some suppliers from neighboring countries like Mozambique and South Africa have demanded upfront payments, which the cash-strapped government has struggled to meet.
To address the immediate crisis, Zesco, Zambia’s state-owned electricity provider, has begun importing electricity to support the country’s mining industry—Zambia’s largest foreign currency earner. Mining operations are critically dependent on a reliable electricity supply, and prolonged outages could severely impact the sector, putting more pressure on the economy.
There was some temporary relief when Energy Minister Makozo Chikote announced that the country’s only coal-fired power plant, Maamba Energy, was fully operational after undergoing maintenance. This plant contributes 13% of the country’s electricity supply. However, even with this boost, the government could only guarantee three hours of electricity per day for most Zambians.
The Impact on Daily Life
For Zambians, daily life has become a constant struggle. The most basic activities, such as cooking, preserving food, and accessing water, have been turned upside down by the power cuts. The inability to refrigerate perishable goods has forced people to alter their shopping habits, buying only what they can consume in a day. For those who do try to stock up, the consequences can be dire. “Last week, I woke up to the smell of rotting meat,” recalled Mutale Chibesa, a mother of three. “The fridge had been off for days, and all the food we bought had gone bad. I had no choice but to give it to the dog.”
Zambia’s cost-of-living crisis has worsened due to the energy shortages. Families are spending more on fuel for generators or are forced to buy food in smaller, more expensive quantities to avoid spoilage. Solar panels, once seen as a potential solution, are proving inadequate for many. The cost of installing enough panels to power an entire household is beyond the reach of most Zambians, and even those with solar setups are finding that cloudy weather limits their usefulness.
In rural and urban homes alike, families have turned to gas and charcoal to cook their meals. However, the surge in demand for gas has led to shortages, forcing many to revert to using charcoal, which is more harmful to the environment. “The shops are running out of gas because everyone wants to buy it,” said Prisca Banda, a resident of Ndola. “We’ve had to start using charcoal again, even though we know it’s bad for the environment.”
Water Crisis Adds to the Misery
The electricity crisis has also created a water crisis for many middle-class Zambians who rely on boreholes. These boreholes, which use electric pumps to draw water, have become largely useless without a reliable electricity supply. Homes are now running out of water as well as power, leaving families unable to flush toilets, bathe, or even access clean drinking water.
In schools, children are advised to bring five liters of water with them each day to avoid a sanitation disaster. The risk of waterborne diseases, such as cholera, has increased as access to clean water becomes scarce. “I’ve had to fill every bucket in the house with water in case the electricity doesn’t come back for a few days,” said Sylvia Malama, a school teacher in Kitwe. “We can’t even flush the toilets without power.”
The widespread power outages have left Zambians frustrated and angry. Many blame successive governments for failing to plan for the future, pointing to the country’s overwhelming dependence on hydropower as a critical failure of foresight.
In response to the crisis, Zesco has announced plans to diversify the country’s energy sources. The government is investing in more solar plants to reduce the dependency on hydro-power, aiming to bring the reliance down to 60% in the future. This would help mitigate the risks posed by droughts and climate change.
However, Zambia is not giving up on fossil fuels either. In July, the government approved the construction of only the country’s second coal-fired power plant. While coal is known to be one of the dirtiest sources of energy, contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, the government sees it as a necessary evil to avoid future energy crises.
Zambia’s electricity crisis has exposed the country’s vulnerabilities, highlighting the need for more diversified energy sources and better long-term planning. The current drought has devastated the country’s hydroelectric capacity, plunging millions of Zambians into darkness and disrupting daily life on an unprecedented scale. While the government is taking steps to mitigate the crisis, the long-term solutions remain unclear, and the road to recovery will be long and difficult. For now, Zambians can only hope for more rain, more power, and more light in the days ahead.
