Lake Chivero

Reservoir in Zimbabwe

17°54′01″S 30°47′28″E / 17.90028°S 30.79111°E / -17.90028; 30.79111TypereservoirPrimary inflowsManyame River, Marimba River, Mukuvisi RiverPrimary outflowsManyame RiverBasin countriesZimbabweMax. width8 km (5.0 mi)Surface area2,632 ha (6,500 acres)Max. depth27 m (89 ft)Water volume250×10^⁶ m³ (200,000 acre⋅ft)Shore length¹48 km (30 mi)

Ramsar Wetland

Official nameLake Chivero and ManyameDesignated3 May 2013Reference no.2105^[1] ¹ Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Chivero is a reservoir on the Manyame River in Zimbabwe. It was formerly called Lake McIlwaine in memory of Sir Robert McIlwaine, a former judge of the High Court and founder of Southern Rhodesia's (later Rhodesia's, now Zimbabwe's) soil and water conservation movement.

Located southwest of Harare, it provides the main water supply for the city. The lake was constructed over two-and-a-half years and opened to the public in 1952. The dam wall is 400 metres long.

The water is also used for irrigation purposes and commercial fishing. Some of the fishes that are found in the lake include common grass carp, tigerfish, black bream, Clarias gariepinus, yellowfish, and green-headed bream.

The lake and hinterland are protected as part of Lake Chivero Recreational Park. The lake was designated a Ramsar wetland of international importance on 3 January 2013.^[2]

Remembrance Island is a small island in the reservoir.^[3]

References

^ "Lake Chivero and Manyame". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
^ "The Annotated Ramsar List: Zimbabwe". The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
^ GEOnet Names Server (GNS)