East Africa: Tanzania Hydropower Project a Threat to Heritage Site
The
directive by the Tanzanian Controller and Auditor-General that the
government revive a $2.6 billion Stiegler Gorge hydroelectricity project
may harm one of East Africa’s largest protected areas.
The
project, which is to be constructed in the Selous Game Reserve — a
Unesco World Heritage Site — is projected to generate 2,100MW, but
conservationists warn against developing it.
In
his report tabled in parliament, the Controller and Auditor-General
said the Rufiji Basin Development Authority (Rubada), which is managing
the project, was facing an acute shortage of financial resources to
execute the project and asked the government to intervene to save the
project.
The
project is located in the Rufiji catchment areas, the largest river
basin in East Africa, covering 175,000 hectares and producing over 80
per cent of the country’s hydroelectricity. However, there are concerns
that human activities are threatening water sources.
Mtera
reservoir, which is the largest dam in the country and has an installed
capacity of 80MW and the Kidatu power station, which has an installed
capacity of 204MW, have been facing low water levels leading to massive
power rationing.
A
Tanzanian environmentalist and executive director of Lawyers
Environmental Action Team (LEAT), Rugemeleza Nshala, told The
EastAfrican that the government should suspend the project altogether
because of concerns that it could cause harm to the environment.
A
2012 Unesco report noted that a dam at Stiegler’s Gorge, which is
situated in the middle of Selous Game Reserve, would have a serious
impact on its World Heritage status. “The World Heritage Centre and IUCN
consider that major dam projects are not appropriate developments
inside natural World Heritage properties. The state party should
reconsider this project in line with its commitments under the
convention,” the report concludes.
No comments:
Post a Comment