Gibe III dam and its impacts on the turkana people

Environment   Oct 17, 2017 by Marlyn

Lake Turkana formerly known as Lake Rudolf is a lake in the Kenyan Rift Valley, in northern Kenya, with its far end crossing into Ethiopia. It is the world’s largest permanent desert lake and the world’s largest alkaline lake. It is the fourth largest Salt Lake and among all lakes ranks 24th. Sadly, this precious lake is now threatened by the construction of the Gilbel Gibe III Dam in Ethiopia due to the damming of the Omo river which supplies most of the lakes water. Lake Turkana National Parks are now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site; all National Parks being known for their Nile Crocodiles.

Lake volume and dimensions have always been variable due to the water evaporating but in recent months the water levels have dropped threatening the livelihood of the indigenous living around the lake. One may ask, aren’t hydroelectric dams a good thing? They provide us with renewable energy. Hydroelectric dams aren’t the bright ray of sunshine we all believe it to be. Hydroelectric dams contribute more to global warming than previously estimated, according to a study published in bioscience. The current and planned in hydroelectric projects is said to be double the current civer of dams in the world and will aggravate the problem.

image of the change in water levels

Researchers found rotting vegetation in the water means that the dams emit about a billion tonnes of greenhouse gases every year, representing 1.3% of total annual anthropogenic (human-caused) global emissions. When considered over a 100-year timescale, dams produce more methane than rice plantations and biomass burning, the study showed. “We estimate that dams emit around 25% more methane by unit of surface than previously estimates,” said Bridget Deemer, from the School of Environment at the Washington State University in Vancouver, and lead author if the study.

Methane is produced at the bottom of the reservoirs, where oxygen is low and bacteria decompose organic material, like trees and grasses. Methane contributing almost 28% to the warming of our earth.

Lake Turkana’s water levels have dropped by approximately 1.5 meters since January 2015, and further reduction is likely without urgent efforts to mitigate the impact of Ethiopia’s actions. Human Rights Watch research based on satellite imagery shows that the drop is already affecting the shoreline of the lake which has receded as much as 1.7 km in Fergusons Gulf since November 2014. The gulf being a critical fish breeding area, and a fishing ground for the indigenous Turkana people.

Another effect of hydroelectricity is effecting the migration patterns of fish, changing the water temperature and harming native plants and animals. This means affecting the biodiversity of the river it lays on. Since Lake Turkana is heavily dependent on its wildlife for tourism a drop in biodiversity of the Lake won’t help anyone. Hydroelectric dams also trap sediments upstream that are critical for maintaining physical processes and habitats downstream of the lake.

Other than environmental effects this hydroelectric dam shall be effecting those near the lake more than it usually would. On opposite sides of the lake are two communities, the Turkana people of Kenya and the Dassanech people of Ethiopia. In recent months’ violent clashes have increased between the Turkana and Dassanech people over the lakes scarce resources. These clashes have occurred amid increasing instability in Kenya due to the elections. The livelihoods of 300,000 people depend on Lake Turkana. Tensions will rise as the water levels drop and the lake’s fish sticks continue to diminish. There is a long history of conflict between the tribes around Lake Turkana, which worsen during times of growing food insecurity. The Omo river provides the Northern inflow, causing nutrients required for fisheries to become concentrated in the northern areas around the Omo Delta. Turkana fishermen as a result are increasingly clashing with Dassanech tribes as they move north to compete for scarce resources.

The humanitarian consequences of Lake Turkana’s depletion are severe. In Turkana County in north-west Kenya, 46 per cent of the population are below the age of 14 and nine out of ten people live below the poverty line. Displacement of people increases regional tensions with a serious potential to lead to armed conflict. If the lake’s water level falls by over 20 meters, the northern end of Lake Turkana will shift southwards by up to 40km. The Dassanech people would then be very likely to migrate south, increasing tensions between Turkana and Dassanech fishing communities. Villagers might also be forced to migrate into the Ilemi Triangle, an unstable area claimed by both Kenya and South Sudan on the Ethiopian border. The combination of poverty, displacement, scarce resources and a high concentration of arms is highly concerning for the stability and security of the cross-border region. In the long term, these conditions will be worsened by the effects of climate change.

There are also reports about human rights violations by the Ethiopian army against locals who oppose the sugar plantations in the lower Omo Valley that would be irrigated with water from the dam's reservoir. According to the reports, "villagers are expected to voice immediate support, otherwise beatings (including the use of tasers), abuse, and general intimidation occurs", (...) "instilling a sense of fear regarding any opposition to sugar plantation plans."

Kenya’s Government has taken no action on this since the dam shall also be providing Kenyans with electrical energy. “Ethiopia is in such a rush to develop its resources that these downstream individuals, who are completely marginalize, just aren’t part of the equation,” said Felix Horne, a HRW researcher. Ethiopia is expected to supply about half of the dam’s power to Ethiopia and the other half to Kenya (500 MW), Sudan (200 MW) and Djibouti (200 MW). However, no Power Purchase Agreements have been signed yet between Ethiopia and any of these countries. Only Kenya signed a Memorandum of Understanding to purchase electricity from the dam.

According to critics, the dam will be potentially devastating to the indigenous population. The dam will stop the seasonal flood, which will impact the lower reach of the Omo River and Lake Turkana as well as the people who rely on those ecosystems for their livelihoods. According to Terri Hathaway, director of International Rivers’ Africa program, Gibe III is “the most destructive dam under construction in Africa.” The project would condemn “half a million of the region’s most vulnerable people to hunger and conflict”. Another critic is the Africa Resources Working Group who released statements saying that “the quantitative (and qualitative) data included in virtually all major sections of the report were clearly selected for the consistence with the predetermined objective of validating the completion of the Gibe III hydro-dam and that despite claims made by the government to the contrary, the dam would “produce a broad range of negative effects, some of which would be catastrophic.” Another prominent critic of the dam is the Kenyan paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey who said that “the project is fatally flawed in terms of ots logic, in terms of its thoroughness, in terms of its conclusions.”

In June 2011 UNESCO’S World Heritage Committee, in its 35th session held in Paris, France, called for the construction of the dam to be halted, to submit all assessments of the dam and requested Ethiopia and Kenya to invite a World heritage Centre monitoring mission to review the dam’s impact on Lake Turkana, a World Heritage Site.

Here is a link to website where you can find beautiful images taken by italian photographer fausto pagavini showing the imapcts of the dam on the indigenous living near Omo river and Lake Turkana.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/proof/2017/08/omo-dam-ethiopia-kenya-photographs/

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