Sustainable reservoir development - A case study from Zimbabwe

The issue of sustainable water resources development remains high on the scientific agenda. Much work remains to be done and in particular, a universal set of criteria upon which sustainability assessment should be based needs to be agreed upon. This paper presents a case study from the Mupfure catchment in Zimbabwe, where a number of reservoir development options are currently being considered. The sustainability of the various options was evaluated using a combination of traditional system reliability analysis, impact assessment and stakeholder consultation. The evaluation indicated that constructing a medium sized reservoir was a more sustainable course of action than constructing a much larger reservoir or not constructing a reservoir at all. The case study, along the way, highlights some important and complimentary aspects of sustainable reservoir development in the southern Africa region.