Flood Levels and Timing
- See also Climate of Zambia
The peak of the flood occurs on the floodplain about 3 months after the peak of the rainy season in January-February. The flood usually peaks in April, and recedes in May to July, when grasses quickly grow on the exposed plain. At the river's lowest water in November the floodplain still contains about 537 km² of lagoons, swamps and channels. The flood leaves behind a fertile grey to black soil overlaying the Kalahari sands, enriched by siltdeposited by the flood as well as humus from vegetation killed by the initial flood, and from decaying aquatic plants left to dry out in the mud. It provides a good soil, but in the late dry season it bakes hard in the heat of the sun.
As the floods recede, water is left behind in lagoons, swamps, and oxbow lakes.
Read more about this topic: Barotse Floodplain
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