Thuli River

Thuli River

The Thuli River flowing out of Thuli Gorge, south of Gwanda, Zimbabwe
Basin
Main source Matopo Mission, Matobo District, Zimbabwe
River mouth Shashe River
Size 7,910 km2
Country Zimbabwe

The Thuli River, former name Tuli River, is a major tributary of the Shashe River in Zimbabwe. It rises near Matopo Mission, Matobo District, and flows into the Shashe River near Tuli village.

Hydrology

The Thuli is an ephemeral river, with declining annual unit runoff.[1]

Major tributaries of the Thuli River include the Mtshabezi, Mtshelele and Mwewe Rivers.

The Thuli River below Thuli-Makwe Dam is a sand filled channel, with alluvial aquifers in the river channel.[2]

Towns along the river

The Thuli River passes through no major settlements, only the following business centres:

Bridges and crossings

Bridge on the Thuli River at Freda Mine.

There are five main bridges over the Mzingwane River:

There are also a number of fords and crossing points, including:

Development

Thuli-Makwe Dam.

In addition to a number of small weirs, there is one major dam on the Thuli River:

The Mtshabezi River (the principal left-bank tributary) is dammed at Mtshabezi, Sheet and Blanket. Mtshabezi Dam will augment the water supply for the City of Bulawayo, once a connecting pipeline has been completed. Sheet and Blanket Dams supply water to the City of Gwanda and Blanket and Vubachikwe Mines.

Two additional dam sites have been selected further downstream:

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thuli River.
  1. Love, D., Uhlenbrook, S., Madamombe, E., Twomlow, S. and van der Zaag, P. 2006. An evaluation of climate and run-off variability and associated livelihood risks in the Mzingwane Catchment, Limpopo Basin, Zimbabwe. Water Institute of Southern Africa Biennial Conference and Exhibition, Durban, South Africa, May 2006.
  2. Görgens, A.H.M. and Boroto, R.A. 1997. Limpopo River: flow balance anomalies, surprises and implications for integrated water resources management. In: Proceedings of the 8th South African National Hydrology Symposium, Pretoria, South Africa.

Coordinates: 21°48′01″S 29°03′42″E / 21.8003°S 29.0617°E / -21.8003; 29.0617

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