It appears that there may be some confusion over which dam is which.
The Mulunguzi dam, as you can see, is pretty large. There is also nothing wrong with it. Chagwa dam is further up and very small.
Chagwa dam is mainly made of mud and has been in existence for many, many years. The surrounding area has been logged however and this amongst other things, has led the soils to be degraded and erosion to occur. With the recent heavy rains, the dam has suffered further degradation and the road running along side is now impassable in places.
The relevant people have been contacted and action is being taken to reduce the volume of water in the dam to enable the engineers to carry out repairs. Those living in Zomba may have noticed that the Mulunguzi river was slightly more swollen than expected as the water is being let out slowly out of Chagwa.
It is highly unlikely that Zomba and its residents are in any imminent danger of flooding.
Sadly, because the difference between the dams has not been made clear, tourism in Zomba is suffering. People are either cancelling their trips or not turning up at all.
Please pass the word around that it is NOT the main dam that is damaged and cause for concern.
Zomba and the Plateau remain a beautiful and safe place to visit :)