Summary Waters Resources Assessment for the Zambezi river basin

The Zambezi river basin drains 8 riparian countries: Angola, Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbambe, Malawi, Tanzania and Mozambique. The Zambezi river is therefore, an international river basin. It drains an area of about 1,800,00 square km(Okavango Chobe system included).The surface water resources of the Zambezi river basin was assessed on the basis of average typical dry and wet year flow conditions. An overview of the water resources of the Zambezi river basin (surface water only) during the driest, average and wettest year flow conditions are presented. It is anticipated that this information will form the backbone for the integrated water resources management of the Zambezi river basin. According to the Helsink Rules on waters of international rivers, Articel four states that "each basin state is entitled to a reasonable share of the beneficial uses of the waters of an international drainage basin". Therefore, this information is also going to be useful on the negotiations between riparian states for the equitable sharing of the water resources of the Zambezi river basin.