The environmental impact of Gilgel Gibe III fictitious

The argument on the environmental impact of Gilgel Gibe III is totally fictitious. Ethiopia commenced the construction of the dam to generate electric power. Nothing comes out of the dams except water. The dam does not arrest the flow of the water. The water continues to flow after it drives the turbine. The turbines generate electricity, finished.”  Dr Teweldeberhan Gebregziabher

Futile campaign under guise of environment 

Electricity is central to sustainable development and poverty reduction, and affects all aspects of development. Recognizing this Ethiopia has committed itself to develop the electric power generating capacity of the country through construction of huge hydropower plants. One of these plants is the Gibe III hydroelectric power plant. Upon completion, this energy ensures the satisfaction of the ever increasing domestic demand with reliable supply as well as supporting the country’s Universal Electrification Access program. The Gibe III hydroelectric project has been started in July 2006 based on contract signed with Salini Costruttori of Italy at a cost of over 1.7 billon USD. The project is progressing well to ensure its completion in the contractual time scheduled.  Walta Information Center reporter recently held an interview with Director General of the Ethiopian Environmental Protection Authority, Dr Teweldeberhan Gebregziabher, on environmental and social impact of Gibe 3 hydroelectric power plant. Below is the full text of the interview. 

Question: What does environmental protection mean? 

Answer: Mankind lives by fulfilling his basic needs from the place where he lives. When he tries to fulfill his needs, he may destroy his surroundings and the resource existed in the surrounding area. Moreover, he may bring an immediate danger to our climate. Environmental protection is therefore a strategy and procedures aimed at conserving the natural resources and preserving the current state of natural environment. 

Question: What are the main factors that affect our environment?  

Answer: There are many things that affect our environment. Soil erosion is one of these factors imposing problems to our world. For example let us see Ethiopia. Our country is highland and mountains. Soil erosion easily affects it. If soil erosion exists the land will get bared and the climate in this area will change. In urban areas pollutants are major challenges that are affecting our health as well as destroying biodiversity. Our recent clear and most dangerous phenomenon is air pollution. When air is polluted, two kinds of problems would occur. The first one is the ozone layer would be thinned or it will be totally disappear. This will allow cancer to spread across the world. The second problem is climate change which resulted the current global warming. Most industrious countries are the main source of this problem. Developing countries like Ethiopia or other African countries have little or no contribution for the current global warming. The smoke which comes out from big industries, factories is affecting our world.   

Question: How can we address these problems?   

Answer: Let us speak about Ethiopia. Let us forget air pollution in Ethiopia because it has very little contribution in this regard. Therefore our problem will be land degradation or water and soil pollution. In order to get rid of land degradation, we have to cover our land. We have to give chance for trees to grow. We have to avoid over grazing. We have to transplant seedlings. We have to make terraces on mountainous areas as well as we have to utilize organic fertilizer.   

Air pollution is very rare in Ethiopia. In rural areas, people dump garbage on farmlands and it is very important for the farm because the garbage would be changed to organic fertilizer. Utilizing garbage in this method is advisable. But in urban areas we have to take necessary precaution when we dump garbage. There are new pollutants that come out of factories, hospitals. This garbage should be   disposed appropriately. If we can we have to use it in a form of fuel or fertilizer or we have to reduce amount of garbage by reusing it. For examples factories can reduce the amount of waste they release by recycling it and utilizing it as an additional input. By doing so factories can reduce air pollution as well as save money. The minimum pollution which can not be avoided should be eliminated through disposing them properly before they mix with water and soil.            

Question: What has the authority done with regard to environmental protection over the past nine months in particular?  

Answer: Each state has its own office responsible for environment protection. The federal environment protection authority designs policies and legislations. States would design their own policy or strategy based on policies and strategies of the federal environment protection authority. Or they implement directly policies of the federal government. The federal environmental protection authority has carried out a lot of awareness raising activities on issue of environment in collaboration with the ministry of agriculture. Though the result achieved so far have not been sufficient, we have seen promising outcomes in several areas. Bare lands and mountainous areas are being covered with trees. Farmers are offering 40 days free service annually in several areas to conserve their environment owing to the awareness raising activities carried out in each state. The authority is working in line with Ethiopia's own laws on environmental protection. 

Question: Does the authority make an environmental assessment on projects ahead of their realization?  

Answer: Of course, the authority takes the necessary inspection on projects like road, factories as well as other big projects prior their implementation. If the project does not bring any impact on environment, the authority gives green light, but if it affects the environment as well as the livelihood of residents of the environs, it gives order for the termination of the projects.   

Question: Some groups still argue that Gibe III hydroelectric dam causes environmental pollution and are calling on the Ethiopian government to halt construction of the hydroelectric dam. Does the dam really have any impact on the residents of the area and the environment?    

Answer: It is totally fictitious. Ethiopia commenced the construction of the dam to generate electric power. Nothing comes out of the dams except water. The dam does not arrest the flow of the water. The water continues to flow after it drives the turbine. The turbines generate electricity, finished. Therefore the construction of the dam has noting to do with the environment. Let us totally forget the issue of environmental pollution from the dam. 

If there are individuals or groups saying the dam bring environment and social impact, these are people who do not know about electricity, or they are those who think Ethiopia is doing other activities on the dam, or those who do not know about the dam. Let us forget the social and environment impact. It is true that the construction of the dam may displace about 295 people. But the government allocated more than 900 million birr to rehabilitate them. 

Question: Does the dam bring any impact on residents below the dam including Kenyans living around Lake Turkana?  

Answer: My answer for this question is nothing. There are some people who say the construction of the dam will reduce the amount of water flowing to the downstream. This will never happen. Why because the water continue to flow after driving the turbine. Rather, the dam operates as a regulating wall and avoids flooding like the one which was occurred two years ago on residents of Omo valley. Therefore the dam will not bring any impact on residents below the dam including Kenyans around Lake Turkana. The dam will not reduce the amount of water entering to Lake Turkana. Those who propagate saying the project will threaten the livelihood of Kenyans around Lake Turkana are people who do not know about the dam, or they are those who do not want to see the growth of the country. But both are wrong.  

Q. What about the impact of the dam on biodiversity? 

Answer: Since our country is highland and mountainous, the dam will not have any impact on biodiversity. When I say this, the authority has carried out the necessary environmental assessment study on the project. Personally, I know the area. The authority has carried out sufficient and detailed study on the project before it was launched and professionals in the sector also verified the study as it has no environment of social impact. 

Question: What benefit will the project have to the country and the region as a whole? 

Answer: The project will have immense contribution towards meeting the growing electricity demand of the country. It enables the country to generate foreign currency earnings. Besides, it will provide similar benefit to our neighboring countries and the region as a whole.   

Question: Do you have anything to add?  

Answer: Yes I do have. Our current major problem is climate change. Our world is utilizing coal and fuel as an alternative energy source. These energy sources are aggravating the current climate change as well as imposing serious problems for our world. 

Our world is in need of projects like Gibe 3, which do not bring any impact on the environment. Therefore, besides giving economic benefit to our country, neighboring countries and the region as a whole, Gibe 3 has its own contribution towards minimizing the current global warming. We have a lot similar rivers that could generate huge power with out imposing any impact on environment. We have to use them for power generation, fulfill our demand and export to the neighboring countries. These kinds of projects will strengthen people to people relations besides fulfilling our electric demand. 

Environment-friendly projects with immense socio-economic benefits should be encouraged and expanded. In contrast to the rumors floating around, the project will have immense socio-economic benefit to farmers and pastoralists residing in the surrounding area.