(June 06, 2012, GIBE III, Ethiopia (AFP)--The mud-coloured Omo River which snakes
through green gorges, feeding lush vegetation and providing vital water
to one of Ethiopia's most remote regions, will also power a contentious
dam project.
The government says the Gibe III dam will boost development, give access to power for many Ethiopians -- about half of the population -- currently living without it, and generate revenue from the export of electricity to the region.
But with construction under way for Africa's highest dam at 243 metres (nearly 800 feet), critics say Ethiopia must also consider the environmental and social impact it will have on some 500,000 people living downstream and at Lake Turkana in neighbouring Kenya. Their livelihoods rely on the river.
"If they're going to build this huge hydro-power dam than it should be done in a way that benefits the people who are most affected," said David Turton, a senior research fellow at Oxford University's African Studies Centre.
The Omo River is over 700 kilometers (430 miles) long and supplies Lake Turkana with 80 percent of its water. It is a source of annual flooding for the agro-pastoralists living in the South Omo valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The completion of the dam in 2014, which will have a capacity of 1,870 megawatts, will regulate the river's flow and, according to the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo), offer a predictable water source for communities living along the river south of the dam. Read more from Xtra »
The government says the Gibe III dam will boost development, give access to power for many Ethiopians -- about half of the population -- currently living without it, and generate revenue from the export of electricity to the region.
But with construction under way for Africa's highest dam at 243 metres (nearly 800 feet), critics say Ethiopia must also consider the environmental and social impact it will have on some 500,000 people living downstream and at Lake Turkana in neighbouring Kenya. Their livelihoods rely on the river.
"If they're going to build this huge hydro-power dam than it should be done in a way that benefits the people who are most affected," said David Turton, a senior research fellow at Oxford University's African Studies Centre.
The Omo River is over 700 kilometers (430 miles) long and supplies Lake Turkana with 80 percent of its water. It is a source of annual flooding for the agro-pastoralists living in the South Omo valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The completion of the dam in 2014, which will have a capacity of 1,870 megawatts, will regulate the river's flow and, according to the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo), offer a predictable water source for communities living along the river south of the dam. Read more from Xtra »
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