By Daniel Zimba:
The National Water Resources Authority (NWRA) has started releasing 1.450 million litres of water per second at Kamuzu Barrage, Liwonde, in Machinga District.
It says the move has been taken to help control lake water levels, as the Lake Malawi level had— by Monday, April 13, 2026— reached 476.43 metres above sea level (masl).
NWRA spokesperson Masozi Kasambala said Tuesday that the lake’s water levels have been increasing over the past 15 years, reaching a mean lake level of 476.43masl as of Monday, April 13, 2026, compared to 475.72masl recorded during the corresponding period in 2025.
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He said the increase in water levels had affected people both upstream and downstream of Kamuzu Barrage.
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Kasambala said, as such, the authority, together with the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Water Development, had intensified efforts to control the situation and prevent further damage to surrounding communities.
“As we speak, we are 71cm [centimetres] higher than the corresponding date last year. The status quo has been necessitated by heavy precipitation in the north and central regions of Malawi and the Republic of Tanzania, which forms an integral component of Lake Malawi,” Kasambala said.
According to Kasambala, the current lake level breaks the record of the 2023-24 hydrological year (476.38masl) and is the second highest lake level in the past 46 years, with the highest level being 477.22masl recorded in 1980.
Commenting on the matter, Traditional Authority Mapira of Mangochi District, whose jurisdiction includes the affected area along Shire River banks, backed the concerns over the impact of rising water levels on his subjects.
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“Some people have already started relocating but some people remain in the floods-prone areas because they can’t afford accommodations upland,” Mapira said.
