Kafue River Basin Report Card

The 2019 Lower Kafue River Basin Report Card assigns an overall health grade of 'C' (moderate) to the basin, indicating that while some indicators meet objectives, others do not. The assessment, developed by WARMA and WWF, highlights critical failures in human health and nutrition—specifically disease burden and sanitation—and declines in keystone species like the Kafue Lechwe. While economic indicators and water quantity generally performed better, the report identifies urgent needs for improved water quality data, climate-smart agriculture to combat malnutrition, and a comprehensive review of environmental flow releases from the Itezhi-tezhi and Kafue Gorge dams.

• The Lower Kafue River Basin received an overall health grade of 'C', meaning it is in 'moderate' condition where some indicators meet objectives and others do not.
• Human Health & Nutrition was the poorest performing category, characterized by a failing grade for disease burden, poor access to sanitation, and widespread severe malnutrition.
• The Kafue Flats region shows a fast decline in the Lechwe population due to poaching and hydrological changes, and environmental flows are not consistently meeting required levels.
• Regional health varies, with Region 1 (Nanzhila) scoring the highest due to excellent streamflow, soil moisture, and crop value, while Region 3 (Magoye) scored the lowest (C-) due to high human activity, sand mining, and molasses pollution.
• Water quality data is insufficient across all regions of the basin, representing a significant information gap for management.
• Hydrological regimes are heavily modified by the Itezhi-tezhi and Kafue Gorge Upper dams; the current 300 m3/s 'ecological freshet' is generally considered inadequate to mimic natural flows.

APA

WWF International (2019). Kafue River Basin Report Card. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/613/36aipxm37i_Kafue_River_Basin_Report_Card_v18.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Kafue River Basin Report Card. 2019. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/613/36aipxm37i_Kafue_River_Basin_Report_Card_v18.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Kafue River Basin Report Card |date=2019 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/613/36aipxm37i_Kafue_River_Basin_Report_Card_v18.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2019kafue, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Kafue River Basin Report Card}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2019}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/613/36aipxm37i_Kafue_River_Basin_Report_Card_v18.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }