From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Wed Mar 31 2010 - 09:18:32 EST
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8582682.stm
Page last updated at 14:48 GMT, Tuesday, 23 March 2010
* A group of international campaigners has launched an online petition
against Ethiopia's huge Gibe III dam project. *
The group wants to put pressure on Western donors and banks not to fund the
dam, saying it would destroy the livelihoods of some 500,000 people.
The dam is on the Omo River, which flows from southern Ethiopia into Lake
Turkana in northern Kenya.
Ethiopia's government says the dam is needed to generate enough electricity
for its population and to sell abroad.
Construction work is under way on the dam, which would be Africa's second
largest hydro-electric dam, providing some 1,800 megawatts of electricity.
* 'Very sensible' *
But one of the groups, International Rivers, says the government still needs
about $1.4bn (£930m) to finish it.
"Gibe III is the most destructive dam under construction in Africa. The
project will condemn half a million of the region's most vulnerable people
to hunger and conflict," said Terri Hathaway, director of International
Rivers' Africa programme.
The dam would flood a huge area, creating a 150km-long lake and preventing
people from planting their crops on the river's flood plains, as they have
done for many generations.
Campaigners also fear that the dam would reduce the flow of water into Lake
Turkana, which some 300,000 people depend on.
However, Ethiopia's government disputes that the overall amount of water
would change - they say it would just be a more regular flow throughout the
year.
Tewolde Gebre Egziabher, head of Ethiopia's Environmental Protection
Authority, told the BBC the project was "very sensible".
"The advantages for the whole country, the local communities around, even
for our neighbouring countries - including Kenya -so much more outweigh the
small problems that will be caused on an immediate basis but are not
long-lasting."
Story from BBC NEWS:
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