The Shingwedzi River flows close to the northeastern side of the reservoir and joins the Rio dos Elefantes about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) downstream from the dam wall.

Shortly thereafter the FRELIMO government restarted the project, but by the early 1980s economic decline and war time conditions halted further progress.

During the period of post conflict reconstruction that followed conclusion to the civil war in 1994 a rehabilitation programme costing US$61m was undertaken, concluding in 2007.

The dam now holds a reservoir with storage capacity of 2.8 billion cubic metres (2,300,000 acre⋅ft) of water, making it the second largest in the country.

The area is an important breeding ground for the Nile Crocodile and there was concern at the Kruger National Park regarding the flooding of the Olifants River Gorge.