- Title: KENYA/ ETHIOPIA : Kenyans protest construction of Omo River dam.
- Date: 27th January 2010
- Summary: TURKANA, KENYA (RECENT) (REUTERS) PEOPLE DEMONSTRATING IN STREET, WAVING PLACARDS - ONE READING: "SAVE OUR LIVELIHOOD, SAVE OUR CHILDREN" MAN WITH WALKING STICK ADDRESSING CROWD MORE OF DEMONSTRATION (SOUNDBITE) (English) PATRICK LISES, RESIDENT, SAYING: "You do not think about the ecosystem that is in this lake, or the habitats that are living around this lake. It se
- Embargoed: 11th February 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: Environment / Natural World
- Reuters ID: LVAA0FTNZZQ65YYV2UAALFO3MPQN
- Story Text: Kenyans who depend on Lake Turkana for their living protest against Ethiopia building a dam upstream.
Kenyan communities living near Lake Turkana are protesting the construction of the Gibe III dam in Ethiopia, saying it will have a negative impact on their environment.
Omo River serves as the main tributary and main contributor of water to the Lake, which is the world's largest desert Lake.
Activists say the project will cause Lake Turkana will recede, inflicting damage on the local economy, degrading biodiversity and increasing cross-border tensions between communities across the Kenya-Ethiopia border over pastures.
"You do not think about the ecosystem that is in this lake, or the habitats that are living around this lake. It seems like you are trying to kill all these habitats that are living here. You are destroying us," said resident Patrick Lises.
"We totally depend on this lake, through generations our economic and social activities revolved around this lake. We are pleading with the government to stop its diversion. We don't even want relief food. If this lake is diverted then our way of life will completely be destroyed," added local councillor Mark Ekale.
Ethiopia opened a dam in the Oromia region earlier this month which will produce 420 MW of hydropower as part of ongoing efforts to beat energy shortages and become one of Africa's only power exporters.
It has five other hydropower dam projects being built, including the one near the Kenyan border, as the country aims to produce 15,000 MW of power within 10 years.
Gibe III aims to generate up to 1870 MW of power and is expected to be completed by 2013.
The 1.75billion dollar plan is funded by the Italian government has already attracted potential customers in Kenya who plan a to put up a 300MW wind energy yard around Lake Turkana by mid 2011.
It is estimated that after completion of Gibe III, it will take 2 years to fill its reservoir at which lake Turkana' s water will chronically recede.
"The people of this region demand a comprehensive environmental impact assessment to establish the impact that will arise with the damming of the River Omo and consequently the stoppage of flow of 80 percent of water into Lake Turkana," said Joshua Angalei, director of Friends of Lake Turkana.
Power shortages are common in Africa and have hindered investment, even though the continent has abundant potential resources of solar, hydro, oil, gas, coal and geothermal power. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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