Lusaka, Zambia — The Zambian government has said it will go ahead and open the spill way gates of Kariba dam to avoid the collapse of its walls due to mounting water pressure.

Zambia's Energy deputy minister, Celestino Chibamba, said if the water is not discharged, it may cause serious damage to the dam and other properties.

Mozambique recently appealed to the Zambian government not to open the spill gates of the dam in order to reduce floods which have claimed 50 people and 400,000 other in the country.

Mozambican High Commissioner to Zambia, Cristofa Jamo, said following his government's appeal to Zambia, the latter assured him that it will only open the gates if the dam walls are threatened.

Once opened, the Kariba Dam waters feed into the Zambezi River on its way into the Mozambican channel via the Cahora Bassa Dam.

But Chibamba said Zambia would do everything possible to help the Mozambican government alleviate the sufferings of the people.

"We sympathise with our Mozambican counterpart but the danger is that if the water is not discharged from the dam as per current arrangement, we fear that the damage to be done to the dam might result in serious and unregulated consequences which will result in lots of disasters," the local media Tuesday quoted Chibamba as saying.

According to Chibamba, for the safety of the dam at Kariba Dam, it was supposed to operate at a level of 484.15 metres but currently was operating at a level of 484.80 metres which is 0.65 metres above safety point.

He said the water in the dam was much greater than what is being let out through the spill way gate which has been responsible for the pressure built up in the reservoir due to heavy rains.

"When faced with abnormal water levels as is the case now, the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) opens four spill way gates to forestall damage to the dam infrastructure, taking into account down-stream adverse effects to other river users such as Mozambique and en-route farming communities along Zambezi River banks," Chibamba said.

Already the ZRA has opened two spill gates with the recent one being opened on 15 February.

Luangwa district, South of Lusaka and some villages along the Kafue-Zambezi river are reported to have been flooded following the opening of the gates and at least 290 tonnes of relief food was required for the area.

The Kariba Dam, the largest in Southern Africa after Mozambique's Cahora Bassa Dam, is located 400 km south of Lusaka.

It is the country's main source of hydro-electric power, the surplus of which is exported to South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana and the DR Congo.

The government-owned Times of Zambia in its Tuesday editorial, appealed for understanding from Mozambique over the opening of the spill gates.

It said if the water was to damage the Kariba Dam, electricity, lives and infrastructure around it would suffer great loss.

"However, Mozambique's mounting fears are understandable... we share their anguish but at the same time we beg them to understand Zambia's precarious position," the paper said.

Zambia's western, eastern and southern provinces have been flooded due to continuous heavy rains in the country and the Zambezi river, Zambia's biggest river, has been filled to capacity.

In Kapiri Mposhi, central Zambia, about 900 families were reported to have been displaced by floods induced by the torrential rains.