Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
Water Storage
19 – 25 August 2026
Working along the cliff faces and uneven rock formations surrounding Victoria Falls required precision civil and hydraulic engineering:
High Cliff Pumping Site: The solar array and intake system had to be anchored on a high, sheer cliff face with extremely restricted site access and limited working area.
Uneven Foundation Topography: The designated site for the 109 m³ reservoir was situated on sloping, unstable ground.
Severe Elevation Undulations: The 1.5 km pipeline traversed steep, repeated uphill and downhill sections. Without precise hydraulic profiling, the line risked severe air locks, head-loss friction, and back-siphonage.
Forster Irrigation deployed custom civil structures and meticulous hydraulic alignment to overcome the hostile terrain:
Reinforced Concrete Ring Beam: To guarantee structural integrity for the 109,000L reservoir on sloping ground, civil teams cast a reinforced concrete ring beam foundation to create a perfectly level, load-bearing pad.
Cliffside Site Clearing & Anchoring: Crews cleared vegetation and engineered secure access zones to safely mount the 2.2 kW DC solar pumping equipment directly on the cliff elevation.
Elevation Profiling & Valve Placement: Engineers mapped the exact 1.5 km terrain profile to position air-release valves at critical high points and non-return valves along steep climbs, guaranteeing smooth hydraulic flow and eliminating pressure spikes.
Delivered in just 6 days, Forster Irrigation transformed a complex cliffside topography into a high-performing water distribution system. The installation provides reliable solar extraction, 109m³ of secure storage, and 12 metered standpipes across 1.5 km of challenging terrain.
