Channel of Congo

See also: Congo

The channel of Congo is a construction project of a channel near the river Congo in Democratic republic of Congo to surmount the Chutes of Inga and the Chutes Livingstone and to arrive at the Pool Malebo, near Kinshasa and Brazzaville with approximately 300 meters of altitude. He was studied with various resumptions of the time of the Belgian Congo by several Belgian specialists in the hydraulic genius (in particular Colonel Pierre Van Deuren in its work “Installation of Low-Congo”, 1928). In 1971, the professor Nicolas Dehousse and his assistant Robert Arnould (University of Liege) conduct a campaign of feasibility technical in Low-Congo for construction of such a channel allowing the passage of barges and boats of: 6000 ton S.

The project is currently carried by Charles Vanacker, pol. Mouzon and Guido Hendrickx within the framework of their project of Emphytéose Moanda.

It appeared at the time of the studies thus carried out that it could not be considered a channel passing by or near the river Congo itself as regards its layout downstream from the Barrages of Inga. This one would begin a few kilometers upstream from Boma, vis-a-vis the island of the Princes. Consequently, the course would borrow additional valleys, mainly that of the river Mao, barred to allow the realization of navigable levels, and a peak will have to be last by lock S (or ship lifts), as it is layout of the Panama Canal. While going up upstream, it is a total of 6 locks which should be built to arrive to a level located at an altitude of 300 meters. The intermediate levels will be created by stoppings on affluents of the Congo river.

lock has, access to a level with 50 meters of altitude
lock B, access to a level with 100 meters of altitude
lock C, access to a level with 150 meters of altitude
lock D, access to a level with 200 meters of altitude
lock E, access to a level with 250 meters of altitude
lock F, access to a level with 300 meters of altitude

Of this level to 300 meters of altitude, two locks (H and G) will make it possible to join the level located upstream of Inga, with 205 meters of altitude. Two channels of 8 then of 1 kilometers will make it possible to join the Big lake of reserve generated by the project of Barrage Large Inga.

From there, navigation becomes again possible on a single level over a length of approximately 173 kilometers, until the contracting of Kalankala, where the river does not exceed 350 meters of width. A stopping would have at this place being built to allow the realization of a level 305 meters of altitude and thus to surmount the Chutes Livingstone. Two locks of 50 meters to side of left bank (in Democratic republic of Congo, but not included/understood in the territory of the Moanda long lease) should thus make it possible to reach the Pool Malebo, and the two capitals of Kinshasa and Brazzaville.

So technically and economically the project seems viable, the reserves on behalf of possible investors come from the recurring political risk since several tens of years in the area, and which always exists in DRC. The disputed project of the Emphytéose Moanda proposes in particular to bring a solution which would make it possible to ensure the perenniality of the company.

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