Zhovhe Dam, Zimbabwe

The Zhovhe Dam is a zoned dam built for irrigation purposes, which dams the Umzingwani and Luhani rivers in the Matabeleland province.

The dam has a maximum height of 44 m by 2,354 m in length and a volume of 1,968,000 m³.

The work creates a reservoir of 134,000,000 m³ in volume and is completed by a longitudinal surface spillway with free overflow threshold, an intake tower with related electromechanical assemblies and a discharge tunnel in the dam foundation.

The Zhovhe dam offered an important development opportunity for the local population, particularly in the southern area of the Matabeleland province on the border with the State of South Africa, supplying water to the neighboring villages, concentrated along the rivers and previously isolated.

It also represented a great input to the Government's agricultural development programs, promoting the growth of rural communities.