Uneasy Choice:
Where do we stand on Gibe III Dam?
10 June, 2009 | By Tsegaye Mulushoa
I. INTRODUCTION
Once again the lobbying power of the likes of Egypt (the so called
“Environmentalists”) has been proved to be of far superior. The second
biggest aid receiver of the United States, next to Israel, for making
peace with Israel and maintaining this status qua along with its effort to
soften the fiery stand of few Arab countries’ logged against the very
existence of Israel as a nation, Egypt can pull any strings at any time
and still win over the flow of Nile and the Water Policy of Ethiopia,
thanks to the poverty stricken, donor-dependent and financially starved
Ethiopia. As it stands now, a handful Environmentalists can do the same.
The Environmentalists lobbied European Investment Bank (EIB) to
withdraw funding from Ethiopia’s dam, and sure enough, they got what
they wanted. Financing from the EIB for Gibe III has been stopped.
Why? The Bank said it has decided to pull back its Euro 1.55 billion
hydropower dam funding …following the calls from the
Environmentalists that “the Gibe III Dam threatens the food security
and local economies that support more than half a million people in
Southwest Ethiopia,” almost verbatim to what the so called
environmentalists argued, spearheaded by the likes of the controversial
Terri Hathaway and Peter Bosshard.
Snaring Choice
Ethiopians all over the world can’t take our eyes off issue number one:
The demise of tribal EPRDF leadership who grossly affected the unity
and sovereignty of the nation and violates the civil, human and
democratic rights of our people. However, the Gibe III issue may force
all of us to make hard choices and help the current regime’s effort win
over EIB so that the bank will reverse its decision. By far, it is an asset
which will benefit the generations to come. Alas, for most of us, it is a
situation or predicament from which it is impossible to extricate our self
from the vicious cycle of Zenawi’s cruel administration and the danger
to the national interest of Ethiopia. It will not be an easy choice; rather,
it is a choice which we would have to make in pain for the sake of our
country and aspiration of the future generations.
II. BACKGROUND
Fengjie is a small city with an ancient cultural center along the Yangtze
River in central China, which is about to disappear as the world's
largest dam takes shape. By the end of 2009, about one million residents
of this ancient city would be relocated to another location. Then, the
land which has had the ancient city would be the world biggest dam.
At the eve of the disappearance of this ancient city, the most vocal
issue has been if such large-scale disruptions be outweighed by the
presumed benefits of the multi-billion dollar dam. Experts argued for
and against it. The success will be that damming the World's third-
longest river (Yangtze River) will create a reservoir 365 miles (600 km)
long. Aswan Dam of Egypt, Merowe of Sudan and other dams have
had similar problems and gains.
It is inherent with any dams to cause forced or voluntary evacuations,
pollutions, loss of spectacular scenery that has inspired poets and
painters for centuries…shrines, mosques, synagogues, churches,
cultural sites and archeological excavations. Dams affect farmlands and
the river's marine life, a vital source of food in several communities.
They consume (flood) large areas, and cost billion of dollars, making a
big dent on a given national economy. In spite of these inherent
problems, countries seem willing to pay the price, and take the risks to
build dams because the end result is acquiring thousands of megawatts
of cleaner hydroelectric power which would offset the burning of
polluting coal (and other materials) and boosting their national
economies.
Gibe III dam is no way different from dams built all over the world. It
has its own inherent advantages and disadvantages. After weighing the
potential benefits and burdens, Kenya and Ethiopia have reportedly
signed the power purchase agreement outlining the terms of electricity
sales in 2006. Nonetheless, Environmentalists are less impressed with
this agreement as the large share of its electricity will be sold to
consumers in other parts of Kenya and not in the Turkana region of
Kenya. These environmentalists vehemently opposed the construction
of Gibe III.
Unlike the Ethiopian Gilgel Gibe III, these so called Environmentalists
did not intervene with equivalent lobbying force to stop the construction
of the Aswan Dam of Egypt and the Merowe High Dam of Sudan, also
known as Merowe Multi-Purpose Hydro Project or Hamdab Dam
(“Merow”). The Reason…well, Sudan is not Ethiopia when it comes to
Egypt, and Asawn…well, it is Egypt’s dam. After all, Egypt claims the
totality of the Nile River water with Sudan. So, that goes for Egyptians’
trust of Sudanese and mistrust of Ethiopians. What is unfortunate is
that the Environmentalists’ similar allegation against Gibe III Dam.
III. SUDAN’S MEROW DAM
Merowe is a large construction project in Merowe Town in Northern
Sudan, about 350 km north of the capital Khartoum. It is situated on the
river Nile, close to the 4th Cataract where the river divides into multiple
smaller branches with large islands in between. Merowe is a city about
40 km downstream from the construction site at Hamdab. The main
purpose of the dam is generation of electricity. Its dimensions make it
the largest contemporary hydropower project in Africa.
Merowe’s Effects on Environment and Inhabitants: When it comes to
concerns, Merowe is not different from Gilgel Gibe III, be it
environmental or people.
1. Displacement: It caused the displacement of an estimated 55,000 to
70,000 people who were residents of the area which covered by the
reservoir lake, mainly belonging to the Manasir, Hamadab and Amri
tribes.
2. Human Rights Violations: UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate
Housing Miloon Kothari once issued a statement, calling for a halt to
dam construction at Merowe until an independent assessment of the
dam's impacts on the more than 60,000 people who stand to be
displaced by the dams at Merowe and Kajbar. Kothari alleged reservoir
of Merowe destroyed dozens of homes in the area and put many more
at risk.
3. Archeological Concern: The dam covered a place where it was
inhabited by people through nearly all periods of (pre)history, but very
little archaeological work has ever been conducted in this particular
region. Recent surveys have confirmed the richness and diversity of
traceable remains, from the Stone Age to the Islamic period. However,
now there won’t be any chance for archeology.
4. Environmental Impact:
1. Sedimentation: The resettlement area is a vast area with an expected
50,000–70,000 inhabitants who would be going through a transitional
period for a few years before the get acclimatised & psychologically
adapted to the new-life ahead. Governing by the two eminent health
impact experiences of New Halfa resettlement projects and Aswan Dam
in Egypt, strategic health planning ought to start early to foresee what
water born diseases and other ecological health problems (such as
bilharziasis, malaria) are likely to prevail and to plan how to guard
against that.
2. Evaporation: The creation of the reservoir lake will increase the
surface area of the Nile by about 700 km². Under the climatic
conditions at the site, additional evaporation losses of up to
1,500,000,000 m³ per year can be expected. This corresponds to about
8% of the total amount of water allocated to Sudan in the Nile Waters
Treaty.
5. International and Domestic Concern: More so it had an International
political impact as Nile is shared by 10 Riparian countries and domestic
concerns because of South Sudan and Darfur unrest.
Regardless of this the environmentalists who worked hard to stop the
financing of Gibe III have not made efforts to stop construction of
Merow Dam.
IV. EGYPT’S ASWAN DAM
Aswan (Assuan) is a city on the first cataract of the Nile in Egypt. Two
dams straddle the Nile River at this point: the newer Aswan High Dam,
and the older Aswan Dam or Aswan Low Dam. The aim of this water
project was to prevent the river's flooding, generate electricity and
provide water for agriculture. The old Aswan Dam is about 1000 km
up-river from Cairo or 686 km as the crow flies heading 166.8 degrees.
The new Aswan High Dam is 4 km upriver from the older dam.
Aswan Dam has caused a number of environmental and cultural
problems:
1. Displacement: It flooded much of lower Nubia and over 60,000
people were displaced. However, it allowed new settlements to be
planned on an improved basis.
2. Archeological Concern: Lake Nasser flooded valuable
archaeological sites such as the fort at Buhen.
3. Environmental Concern:
1. Fishing: Mediterranean fishing declined after the dam was finished
because nutrients that used to flow down the Nile to the Mediterranean
were trapped behind the dam.
2. Erosion: There is some erosion of farmland down-river as the river
replenishes its sediment load. Erosion of coastline barriers due to lack
of new sediments from floods will eventually cause loss of the brackish
water lake fishery that is currently the largest source of fish for Egypt,
and the subsidence of the Nile Delta will lead to inundation of the
northern portion of the delta with seawater, in areas which are now
used for rice crops. The red-brick construction industry, which used
delta mud, is also severely affected. There is significant erosion of
coastlines (due to lack of sand, which was once brought by the Nile) all
along the eastern Mediterranean.
3. Fertility: The delta itself, no longer renewed by Nile silt, has lost
much of its fertility.
4. Evaporation and Disease: As salt water stagnates and evaporates it
leaves behind salt crystals on the soil, causing salinisation and decreased
yield. Furthermore, the standing water is a breeding ground for snails
carrying the parasite bilharzias, the second most socio-economically
negative parasite, second only to malaria. Due to the Aswan Dam
inhibiting the natural fluctuations in water height, i.e. floods, the
bilharzias disease has flourished causing great expense to the Egyptian
economy and people. The battle with the disease continues. The
valuable silt which the Nile deposited ashore in the yearly floods and
made the Nile floodplain fertile is now held behind the dam. Silt
deposited in the reservoir is lowering the water storage capacity of Lake
Nasser. Poor irrigation practices are water-logging soils and bringing
salt to the surface.
5. Pollution: The increased use of artificial fertilizers in farmland below
the dam has caused chemical pollution which the traditional river silt did
not. Indifferent irrigation control has also caused some farmland to be
damaged by water-logging and increased salinity, a problem
complicated by the reduced flow of the river, which allows salt water
to encroach further into the delta.
6. Atalantic Ocean: The Aswan Dam tends to increase the salinity of the
Mediterranean Sea, and this affects the Mediterranean's outflow current
into the Atlantic Ocean. This current can be traced thousands of
kilometers into the Atlantic.
V. GIBE III DAM OF ETHIOPIA
Are the concerns of Gibe III different from the concerns of Merowe of
Sudan, Aswan of Egypt, and Yangtze of China? If not why did EIB
pulled its financing of Gibe III Dam? EIB made a decision to stop
financing of Gibe III dam due to the pressure exerted by
Environmentalists and activists from Friends of Lake Turkana, Kenya
[1], Reform the World Bank Campaign, Counter Balance (Italy)[2], and
International Rivers (Cameroon)[3] .
Environmentalists argued that the dam would affect “the ecosystems of
Ethiopia's Lower Omo Valley and Kenya's Lake Turkana … [by] wreak
havocking on the Omo River's natural flood cycle.” African Resources
Working Group (ARWG) disputed the findings of the Environmental
Impact Assessment done by the Ethiopian Government citing more
potential risk to the environment and the indigenous communities,
mainly:
i. They urged the Bank not to fund the Gibe III because the affected
communities could not withstand any more pressure on the little
resources along the lake.
ii. Gibe III Dam would lead to the ecological and economic collapse
around Lake Turkana, adding that it would also fuel tension in the
volatile east African region, specifically[4]:
· Retreat of Lake Turkana (7m in depth in first 5 years); they said the
construction of Gibe III dam would leave the lake and its inhabitants
devastated as the lake could start drying up when its main source, the
Omo River, is depleted by a huge dam in Ethiopia.
· A significant increase in lake salinity, and destruction of aquatic
organisms
· Destruction of Indigenous Econom[ies]
· [Transboundary] Issues between Ethiopia, Sudan and Kenya
· Hampering of Possible Regional Development
iii. They vehemently argued that Gibe III dam would violate human
rights and social justice of the inhabitants of Lake Turkana as the dam
is destroying their source of livelihood as well as their environment.
Nonetheless, the environmentalists have admitted that “ the idea of
dams producing hydroelectric power” is not something to be
disregarded, but they encouraged Ethiopia to pursue an alternative
forms of energy development that avoid unacceptable trade offs which
jeopardize indigenous economies and destroy the eco-system, like
constructing small dams. Ethiopia is the poorest nation in the globe, and
it is not an easy task for Ethiopians to pursue such an alternative route,
loosing what could be a boost for its national economy. Hathaway
knows that this task will not be an easy one, but he and his allies are
telling Ethiopia that at any cost Ethiopia has to maintain the maximum
river flow or slow construction of the dam to allow for adequate flow
of water into Lake Turkana rather than the drastic five year damming
plan currently in place.[5]
Next Stop: Africa Development Bank (ADB)
The so called Environmentalist group next stop is the ADB which they
planned to pressure to stop funding. Reportedly, they have submitted
complaints to the ADB in March and April alleging the Gibe III Dam
violates the Bank’s policies on environmental and social assessment,
poverty reduction, resettlement, public disclosure, and trans-boundary
water management. They went to the extent of convincing donors not
to fund ADB what they are not prepared to fund through EIB.
VI. CONCLUSION
EIB should not have stopped the financing of Gibe III. As it is shown is
other dams across the globe, there are cons and pros of each and every
construction of dam. The fair issue and the standard should always be
if the benefit outweighs the concerns in constructing such huge dams.
EIB and Environmentalists should stop using double standards and in no
way shall not justify their partiality towards their financiers.
Had the government of Ethiopia not violated the human, civil and
democratic rights of its citizens, Euro1.5 Billion could have been raised
by Ethiopian Diaspora members saving Ethiopia from unnecessary saga
with EIB and Environmentalists. Therefore, what EIB should know is
that, at any cost now or later, Ethiopians will complete Gibe III dam
construction. However, EIB would stand to loose its goodwill and trust
with Ethiopians and the international community.
The author can be reached at tmulushoa@gmail.com.
Where do we stand on Gibe III Dam?
10 June, 2009 | By Tsegaye Mulushoa
I. INTRODUCTION
Once again the lobbying power of the likes of Egypt (the so called
“Environmentalists”) has been proved to be of far superior. The second
biggest aid receiver of the United States, next to Israel, for making
peace with Israel and maintaining this status qua along with its effort to
soften the fiery stand of few Arab countries’ logged against the very
existence of Israel as a nation, Egypt can pull any strings at any time
and still win over the flow of Nile and the Water Policy of Ethiopia,
thanks to the poverty stricken, donor-dependent and financially starved
Ethiopia. As it stands now, a handful Environmentalists can do the same.
The Environmentalists lobbied European Investment Bank (EIB) to
withdraw funding from Ethiopia’s dam, and sure enough, they got what
they wanted. Financing from the EIB for Gibe III has been stopped.
Why? The Bank said it has decided to pull back its Euro 1.55 billion
hydropower dam funding …following the calls from the
Environmentalists that “the Gibe III Dam threatens the food security
and local economies that support more than half a million people in
Southwest Ethiopia,” almost verbatim to what the so called
environmentalists argued, spearheaded by the likes of the controversial
Terri Hathaway and Peter Bosshard.
- Reportedly, EIB financed the Gibe and Gibe
II dams, conducted a pre-assessment of
the Gibe III Dam, and contributed funds to
the project's economic, financial and
technical assessment. Gilgel Gibe III dam is
expected to be Africa’s tallest dam with the
height of 240 meters and Ethiopia’s biggest
investment.
Snaring Choice
Ethiopians all over the world can’t take our eyes off issue number one:
The demise of tribal EPRDF leadership who grossly affected the unity
and sovereignty of the nation and violates the civil, human and
democratic rights of our people. However, the Gibe III issue may force
all of us to make hard choices and help the current regime’s effort win
over EIB so that the bank will reverse its decision. By far, it is an asset
which will benefit the generations to come. Alas, for most of us, it is a
situation or predicament from which it is impossible to extricate our self
from the vicious cycle of Zenawi’s cruel administration and the danger
to the national interest of Ethiopia. It will not be an easy choice; rather,
it is a choice which we would have to make in pain for the sake of our
country and aspiration of the future generations.
II. BACKGROUND
Fengjie is a small city with an ancient cultural center along the Yangtze
River in central China, which is about to disappear as the world's
largest dam takes shape. By the end of 2009, about one million residents
of this ancient city would be relocated to another location. Then, the
land which has had the ancient city would be the world biggest dam.
At the eve of the disappearance of this ancient city, the most vocal
issue has been if such large-scale disruptions be outweighed by the
presumed benefits of the multi-billion dollar dam. Experts argued for
and against it. The success will be that damming the World's third-
longest river (Yangtze River) will create a reservoir 365 miles (600 km)
long. Aswan Dam of Egypt, Merowe of Sudan and other dams have
had similar problems and gains.
It is inherent with any dams to cause forced or voluntary evacuations,
pollutions, loss of spectacular scenery that has inspired poets and
painters for centuries…shrines, mosques, synagogues, churches,
cultural sites and archeological excavations. Dams affect farmlands and
the river's marine life, a vital source of food in several communities.
They consume (flood) large areas, and cost billion of dollars, making a
big dent on a given national economy. In spite of these inherent
problems, countries seem willing to pay the price, and take the risks to
build dams because the end result is acquiring thousands of megawatts
of cleaner hydroelectric power which would offset the burning of
polluting coal (and other materials) and boosting their national
economies.
Gibe III dam is no way different from dams built all over the world. It
has its own inherent advantages and disadvantages. After weighing the
potential benefits and burdens, Kenya and Ethiopia have reportedly
signed the power purchase agreement outlining the terms of electricity
sales in 2006. Nonetheless, Environmentalists are less impressed with
this agreement as the large share of its electricity will be sold to
consumers in other parts of Kenya and not in the Turkana region of
Kenya. These environmentalists vehemently opposed the construction
of Gibe III.
Unlike the Ethiopian Gilgel Gibe III, these so called Environmentalists
did not intervene with equivalent lobbying force to stop the construction
of the Aswan Dam of Egypt and the Merowe High Dam of Sudan, also
known as Merowe Multi-Purpose Hydro Project or Hamdab Dam
(“Merow”). The Reason…well, Sudan is not Ethiopia when it comes to
Egypt, and Asawn…well, it is Egypt’s dam. After all, Egypt claims the
totality of the Nile River water with Sudan. So, that goes for Egyptians’
trust of Sudanese and mistrust of Ethiopians. What is unfortunate is
that the Environmentalists’ similar allegation against Gibe III Dam.
III. SUDAN’S MEROW DAM
Merowe is a large construction project in Merowe Town in Northern
Sudan, about 350 km north of the capital Khartoum. It is situated on the
river Nile, close to the 4th Cataract where the river divides into multiple
smaller branches with large islands in between. Merowe is a city about
40 km downstream from the construction site at Hamdab. The main
purpose of the dam is generation of electricity. Its dimensions make it
the largest contemporary hydropower project in Africa.
Merowe’s Effects on Environment and Inhabitants: When it comes to
concerns, Merowe is not different from Gilgel Gibe III, be it
environmental or people.
1. Displacement: It caused the displacement of an estimated 55,000 to
70,000 people who were residents of the area which covered by the
reservoir lake, mainly belonging to the Manasir, Hamadab and Amri
tribes.
2. Human Rights Violations: UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate
Housing Miloon Kothari once issued a statement, calling for a halt to
dam construction at Merowe until an independent assessment of the
dam's impacts on the more than 60,000 people who stand to be
displaced by the dams at Merowe and Kajbar. Kothari alleged reservoir
of Merowe destroyed dozens of homes in the area and put many more
at risk.
3. Archeological Concern: The dam covered a place where it was
inhabited by people through nearly all periods of (pre)history, but very
little archaeological work has ever been conducted in this particular
region. Recent surveys have confirmed the richness and diversity of
traceable remains, from the Stone Age to the Islamic period. However,
now there won’t be any chance for archeology.
4. Environmental Impact:
1. Sedimentation: The resettlement area is a vast area with an expected
50,000–70,000 inhabitants who would be going through a transitional
period for a few years before the get acclimatised & psychologically
adapted to the new-life ahead. Governing by the two eminent health
impact experiences of New Halfa resettlement projects and Aswan Dam
in Egypt, strategic health planning ought to start early to foresee what
water born diseases and other ecological health problems (such as
bilharziasis, malaria) are likely to prevail and to plan how to guard
against that.
2. Evaporation: The creation of the reservoir lake will increase the
surface area of the Nile by about 700 km². Under the climatic
conditions at the site, additional evaporation losses of up to
1,500,000,000 m³ per year can be expected. This corresponds to about
8% of the total amount of water allocated to Sudan in the Nile Waters
Treaty.
5. International and Domestic Concern: More so it had an International
political impact as Nile is shared by 10 Riparian countries and domestic
concerns because of South Sudan and Darfur unrest.
Regardless of this the environmentalists who worked hard to stop the
financing of Gibe III have not made efforts to stop construction of
Merow Dam.
IV. EGYPT’S ASWAN DAM
Aswan (Assuan) is a city on the first cataract of the Nile in Egypt. Two
dams straddle the Nile River at this point: the newer Aswan High Dam,
and the older Aswan Dam or Aswan Low Dam. The aim of this water
project was to prevent the river's flooding, generate electricity and
provide water for agriculture. The old Aswan Dam is about 1000 km
up-river from Cairo or 686 km as the crow flies heading 166.8 degrees.
The new Aswan High Dam is 4 km upriver from the older dam.
Aswan Dam has caused a number of environmental and cultural
problems:
1. Displacement: It flooded much of lower Nubia and over 60,000
people were displaced. However, it allowed new settlements to be
planned on an improved basis.
2. Archeological Concern: Lake Nasser flooded valuable
archaeological sites such as the fort at Buhen.
3. Environmental Concern:
1. Fishing: Mediterranean fishing declined after the dam was finished
because nutrients that used to flow down the Nile to the Mediterranean
were trapped behind the dam.
2. Erosion: There is some erosion of farmland down-river as the river
replenishes its sediment load. Erosion of coastline barriers due to lack
of new sediments from floods will eventually cause loss of the brackish
water lake fishery that is currently the largest source of fish for Egypt,
and the subsidence of the Nile Delta will lead to inundation of the
northern portion of the delta with seawater, in areas which are now
used for rice crops. The red-brick construction industry, which used
delta mud, is also severely affected. There is significant erosion of
coastlines (due to lack of sand, which was once brought by the Nile) all
along the eastern Mediterranean.
3. Fertility: The delta itself, no longer renewed by Nile silt, has lost
much of its fertility.
4. Evaporation and Disease: As salt water stagnates and evaporates it
leaves behind salt crystals on the soil, causing salinisation and decreased
yield. Furthermore, the standing water is a breeding ground for snails
carrying the parasite bilharzias, the second most socio-economically
negative parasite, second only to malaria. Due to the Aswan Dam
inhibiting the natural fluctuations in water height, i.e. floods, the
bilharzias disease has flourished causing great expense to the Egyptian
economy and people. The battle with the disease continues. The
valuable silt which the Nile deposited ashore in the yearly floods and
made the Nile floodplain fertile is now held behind the dam. Silt
deposited in the reservoir is lowering the water storage capacity of Lake
Nasser. Poor irrigation practices are water-logging soils and bringing
salt to the surface.
5. Pollution: The increased use of artificial fertilizers in farmland below
the dam has caused chemical pollution which the traditional river silt did
not. Indifferent irrigation control has also caused some farmland to be
damaged by water-logging and increased salinity, a problem
complicated by the reduced flow of the river, which allows salt water
to encroach further into the delta.
6. Atalantic Ocean: The Aswan Dam tends to increase the salinity of the
Mediterranean Sea, and this affects the Mediterranean's outflow current
into the Atlantic Ocean. This current can be traced thousands of
kilometers into the Atlantic.
V. GIBE III DAM OF ETHIOPIA
Are the concerns of Gibe III different from the concerns of Merowe of
Sudan, Aswan of Egypt, and Yangtze of China? If not why did EIB
pulled its financing of Gibe III Dam? EIB made a decision to stop
financing of Gibe III dam due to the pressure exerted by
Environmentalists and activists from Friends of Lake Turkana, Kenya
[1], Reform the World Bank Campaign, Counter Balance (Italy)[2], and
International Rivers (Cameroon)[3] .
Environmentalists argued that the dam would affect “the ecosystems of
Ethiopia's Lower Omo Valley and Kenya's Lake Turkana … [by] wreak
havocking on the Omo River's natural flood cycle.” African Resources
Working Group (ARWG) disputed the findings of the Environmental
Impact Assessment done by the Ethiopian Government citing more
potential risk to the environment and the indigenous communities,
mainly:
i. They urged the Bank not to fund the Gibe III because the affected
communities could not withstand any more pressure on the little
resources along the lake.
ii. Gibe III Dam would lead to the ecological and economic collapse
around Lake Turkana, adding that it would also fuel tension in the
volatile east African region, specifically[4]:
· Retreat of Lake Turkana (7m in depth in first 5 years); they said the
construction of Gibe III dam would leave the lake and its inhabitants
devastated as the lake could start drying up when its main source, the
Omo River, is depleted by a huge dam in Ethiopia.
· A significant increase in lake salinity, and destruction of aquatic
organisms
· Destruction of Indigenous Econom[ies]
· [Transboundary] Issues between Ethiopia, Sudan and Kenya
· Hampering of Possible Regional Development
iii. They vehemently argued that Gibe III dam would violate human
rights and social justice of the inhabitants of Lake Turkana as the dam
is destroying their source of livelihood as well as their environment.
Nonetheless, the environmentalists have admitted that “ the idea of
dams producing hydroelectric power” is not something to be
disregarded, but they encouraged Ethiopia to pursue an alternative
forms of energy development that avoid unacceptable trade offs which
jeopardize indigenous economies and destroy the eco-system, like
constructing small dams. Ethiopia is the poorest nation in the globe, and
it is not an easy task for Ethiopians to pursue such an alternative route,
loosing what could be a boost for its national economy. Hathaway
knows that this task will not be an easy one, but he and his allies are
telling Ethiopia that at any cost Ethiopia has to maintain the maximum
river flow or slow construction of the dam to allow for adequate flow
of water into Lake Turkana rather than the drastic five year damming
plan currently in place.[5]
Next Stop: Africa Development Bank (ADB)
The so called Environmentalist group next stop is the ADB which they
planned to pressure to stop funding. Reportedly, they have submitted
complaints to the ADB in March and April alleging the Gibe III Dam
violates the Bank’s policies on environmental and social assessment,
poverty reduction, resettlement, public disclosure, and trans-boundary
water management. They went to the extent of convincing donors not
to fund ADB what they are not prepared to fund through EIB.
VI. CONCLUSION
EIB should not have stopped the financing of Gibe III. As it is shown is
other dams across the globe, there are cons and pros of each and every
construction of dam. The fair issue and the standard should always be
if the benefit outweighs the concerns in constructing such huge dams.
EIB and Environmentalists should stop using double standards and in no
way shall not justify their partiality towards their financiers.
Had the government of Ethiopia not violated the human, civil and
democratic rights of its citizens, Euro1.5 Billion could have been raised
by Ethiopian Diaspora members saving Ethiopia from unnecessary saga
with EIB and Environmentalists. Therefore, what EIB should know is
that, at any cost now or later, Ethiopians will complete Gibe III dam
construction. However, EIB would stand to loose its goodwill and trust
with Ethiopians and the international community.
The author can be reached at tmulushoa@gmail.com.
| All rights reserved. |
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| The Enduring Food Crisis and Legal Politics of the Nile. "While the annual inundations of 'our river' presented the foundation of one of the most stable and structured eco-political society of human history in the lower most reaches and.. More |
| “Ethiopia has the right to build dams” "..For several decades, Egypt succeeded in blocking Ethiopia from raising international project finance for irrigation and building dams for electricity, immensely contributing to the perpetuation of cycles of drought and famine and, hence, abject poverty in Ethiopia. Moreover, since the days of President Sadat, Egypt had declared intention to go to war if Ethiopia built dams on the Nile River. Times changed and the rapprochement with Sudan compelled Egypt in 2004 at a trilateral meeting of Egypt, Ethiopia and the Sudan to recognize for the first time Ethiopia’s right of use of the water. The Egyptian declaration came through Mr. Mahmud Abu Zeid, the Egyptian Minister of Water Resources, who uttered that famous sentence, “Ethiopia has the right to build dams.” Genet Mersha |
| NILE (Wikipedia) " The Abbai portion of the river is considered holy by many in Ethiopia, and is believed to be the Gihon river mentioned as flowing out of the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2.[1] The Abay portion of the Blue Nile rises at Lake Tana and flows for some thirty kilometers before plunging over the Tis Issat Falls. The river then loops across northwest Ethiopia through a series of deep valleys and canyons into Sudan, by which point it is only known as the Blue Nile. More |
| Related Stories Fasil Amdetsion: On Conflicts Along The Nile Sudan walks out of Nile River talks Ethiopia - Egypt: A tug of war over the Nile basin Egypt makes offers but Ethiopia won’t budge |
