More seriously, the articles betrayed a lack of understanding of Southern Africa's needs and challenges. They insinuated that dams are superfluous if not positively harmful. These strong comments need explanation. We are, however, concerned about the negative reports about the way in which Mozambique and its neighbours have managed the current flood threat. These seem to derive more from a generic criticism by environmentalists of dams, wherever they may be, than about the specific situation on the Zambezi.
Dams commonly serve a number of purposes.
They may store water, produce hydroelectricity or help to reduce the impact of floods. To provide security against drought, dams are kept full as is also the case for the generation of power. To protect against floods, they are kept empty. Clearly to do both, a compromise must be sought. From widely available media reports it appears that the Mozambican operating authorities did apply a structured operating rule at Cahora Bassa.