EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF LIWONDE BARRAGE
Since 2011, the country of Malawi has been experiencing low water levels in Lake Malawi but the situation started changing when the country received high amount of rains. To prevent the future uncertainties of drop in the level of water again, Malawi Government and National Water Reserve Authority (NWRA) implemented renovation of Liwonde barrage to control level of water in Lake Malawi. A barrage is a type of dam or barrier constructed across a river to control water flow and flooding. It can also be used to generate hydroelectric power and facilitate irrigation. Barrages have gates that can be opened and closed to regulate the water flow. Recently, water levels in Lake Malawi had increased to 475.39 metres above sea level in March 2023 which was 47.5cm higher than same month of the previous year. The barrage usually has one or two gates opened to let some water pass through downstream and close the rest of the gates to retain some water upstream in the river and Lake Malawi. It i...