Monday, March 19, 2012

Controversial Dam on Ethiopia's Omo River

Construction of the Gibe III Dam on Ethiopia's Omo River that feeds Lake Turkana in Kenya has raised a number of concerns by environmentalists and persons concerned with the displacement of Ethiopians who will be forced to move from their homes. For a brief summary of the controversy, see Peter Bosshard's comments here on 6 March 2012.

The Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority published a more detailed report in September 2011 titled Existing Challenges: Plantation Development versus Wildlife Conservation in the Omo-Tama-Mago Complex. Written by Cherie Enawgaw, Derbe Deksios and Girma Timer, it looks at the impact of the dam on wildlife, Omo National Park, Mago National Park and the Kuraz sugar cane project.