ID: 1761
Presenting Author: Mwelwa Nsaka Sata-Haruperi
Session: 725 - After the Assessment – Where’s the Value and What Happened in the End?
Status: pending
KDRP shows how impact assessment safeguards add lasting value through improved dam safety, environmental protection, & stakeholder engagement while exposing challenges in sustaining outcomes
The Kariba Dam Rehabilitation Project (KDRP) offers an opportunity to assess the long-term value of impact assessment beyond approval. Guided by Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) and Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs), the project shows how safeguards can shape outcomes in dam safety, environmental protection, and transboundary cooperation.
This paper examines how assessment recommendations were implemented, highlighting results such as improved worker health and safety, biodiversity monitoring, and continued stakeholder engagement across Zambia and Zimbabwe. At regional level, the project strengthens energy security by safeguarding a key hydropower asset and reducing dam failure risks. These outcomes demonstrate the value of impact assessment when effectively linked to decision-making and oversight.
However, the KDRP also reveals challenges that affect long-term impact. Implementation delays, cost overruns, and unmet community expectations show that assessments are not self-executing; their value depends on institutional follow-through, financing, and active stakeholder dialogue.
Ultimately, KDRP illustrates how sound assessment processes can drive systemic change by setting new standards for dam rehabilitation, enhancing donor accountability, and embedding climate resilience in infrastructure projects. By asking “what happened in the end,” this case highlights both the achievements and limitations of impact assessment practice and offers lessons for sustaining value well beyond project approval.
M. Sata is an EHS specialist with the Zambezi River Authority. She has over 12 years of experience in IA for energy and construction projects, specializing in sustainable project management
Coauthor 1: Munyaradzi Munodawafa
Coauthor 2: Sithembinkosi Mhlanga
Coauthor 3: Phillip Ziduche