Zambezi km from the sea the Zambezi receives the drainage of Lake Malawi through the Shire River. On approaching the Indian Ocean, the river splits up into a delta. Each of the four primary distributaries, Kongone, Luabo and Timbwe, is obstructed by a sand bar. A more northerly branch, called the Chinde mouth, has a minimum depth at low water of 2 m at the entrance and 4 m further in, and is the branch used for navigation. 100 km further north is a river called the Quelimane, after the town at its mouth. This stream, which is silting up, receives
Zambezi Watercourse Commission and sustainable development thereof". Poverty reduction is the first priority of SADC, and ZAMCOM has a primary goal of poverty reduction through the shared water resource. ZAMCOM must address the concerns of downstream users over extraction of water upstream. Thus Mozambique is concerned that its prawn industry in the Zambezi delta is not affected by reduced flows, and that the Cahora Bassa hydroelectric plant receives sufficient water. Planned upstream water abstractions include the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project in Zimbabwe that would bring water from the Zambezi to Bulawayo and its surrounding areas, as well as a proposed extension of the