Omo River, river in southwestern Ethiopia, eastern Africa. Omo River, river in southwestern Ethiopia, eastern Africa. The land is largely dry savanna, with the Omo River cutting a nearly 475-mile-long swath down to Lake Turkana on the Kenya border. [8] The project is located on the Omo River, approximately 300 Km south-west of Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. Ethiopia constructed the Gibe III hydro-electric power dam along River Omo, which is the main source of water for Lake Turkana – the world’s largest desert lake and a Unesco heritage site located in northern Kenya. The $1.7 billion hydroelectric Gibe III dam, completed in 2015, harnesses power from the Omo River. The giant Gibe III dam, now being built on the Omo River in southwestern Ethiopia is a boon for some, a problem for others. Salini Costruttori, an Italian company, started construction work on the project in 2006. The Lower Omo Valley is a region of fertile grasslands, terraced hillsides, broad rivers, and … The tribes of the Lower Omo Valley in Ethiopia live in close contact with nature and the river they depend on. It is not interested in consulting with them properly at all,? The Gibe III hydropower dam, due for completion in 2014, is being built on the Omo River in southern Ethiopia. Supporters say it will provide electricity for millions of Africans. There is no question that Ethiopia needs power. Karo Warriors, Omo River Region, Ethiopia Charles Roffey The Omo River Valley is in the southwestern region of Ethiopia and is the home of tribes living very much the same way they have for hundreds of years. Herbert Henry Austin and his men reached the Omo delta on 12 September 1898, and found that an Ethiopian expedition, led by Ras Wolda Giyorgis, had previously planted Ethiopian flags on the northern shore of Lake Turkana on 7 April, as well as having plundered the locals and reduced them to poverty. The Omo River is also a lifeline for the Ancient African tribes that live in the Omo Valley. In 2000, the commission issued a report saying decisions to build large hydro-electric dams must be guided by indigenous people?s free, prior and informed consent to the project. Gibe 3 Dam fast facts Location 300 km (190 miles) southwest of Addis Ababa, on the Omo River Cost €1.55 billion (at current exchange rate, US$2.11 billion). A similar story exists for GERD. The Omo river, dammed for the US$1.8 billion 1,870-MW Gibe III hydroelectric dam. Others are finishing the concrete lining to the last of three 1,000m long tunnels that have already begun diverting the Omo River waters around the main construction site. It comprises an RCC dam and an open-air powerhouse with 10 Francis turbines that offer an overall installed power of 1,870 MW and a generation capacity of 6,500 GWh/year. Project costs have increased 11% since 2006. Construction of the dam will deny water to the locals who depend on Lake Turkana for survival. The discovery of human remains dating back nearly 2.5 million years prompted Unesco to dub the Lower Valley a World Heritage site in 1980. Who gives a ‘ dam ’ about the Omo River in Ethiopia? ?Ethiopia will accomplish the construction at any cost whether donors continue funds or not,? The Gibe III will be the largest hydroelectric plant in Africa. She says in 2009 the local regional administration for the area surrounding the Gibe III shut down a number of community associations, making it virtually impossible for the tribes affected to discuss their views of the dam. Upon completion, the Gibe III dam will be the second largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa, also providing electricity to needing neighbor countries. But what the World Bank hasn?t done, she says, is to adequately implement the standard of free, prior and informed consent, which she says is absolutely vital to tribal people all over the world. The Gibe III will curb the Omo?s season floodwaters, which provide water and silt to enrich local farmland. This is because the Omo river, on which Gibe III dam is built, is its umbilical cord. Koysha Dam will have a capacity to generate 2000MW of electricity on the lower bank of the Omo River, which is an outward-bound river of Ethiopia to join Lake Turkana, near the Kenyan border in southern Ethiopia. The Omo river was renamed Omo-Bottego in his honour. ?A great deal of it will actually be taken across the border to Kenya because the governments have already made agreements. Dam Design Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) gravity dam 240 meters (787 ft) tall – the tallest dam … After a NWNL Omo River Expedition in Ethiopia, Alison Jones visited Arba Minch 1) to interview Water Technology Institute [WTI] scientists focused on Ethiopia’s water resources and hydrologic projects; and to discuss her 100-page Proposed Management Plan for Nech Sar National Park with the current manager of that park. Despite the somewhat confusing naming they are native power stations and dams located on the Omo River. For the indigenous tribes and animals that call Omo Valley home, disruption of the Omo River's flow is predicted to change their way of living forever. Omo River Dams in Ethiopia: Blessing or Curse? complete the Gibe III Dam. PDF. Duffield says. Their territory is adjacent to both banks of the Omo River and, prior to the dam, lived at the Omo year-round. Should this project proceed, the factory will likely increase water consumption from the Omo River, which is the most important source of water for Lake Turkana. English: Omo river, Gibe III Dam in Wolayita. The Omo Valley communities will no longer be able to be self-sustaining. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile River, which will become the 11th-largest in the world, with an installed capacity of 6,000 MW, is currently more than 70% complete. Report: E. African Minorities Losing Resources, Commercial exploitation of natural resources exacerbates scarcity, deepens longstanding animosities between indigenous communities, Giant Ethiopian Dam Said to Threaten Indigenous Groups, Rights groups argue construction of new dam will disrupt natural flood cycles and seriously impact lives of more than 200,000 people, Tunnel Collapse Closes Ethiopia's New Hydropower Project, Collapse has at least temporarily halted Ethiopia's plans to solve its chronic power shortage. This is not an electrification project for the benefit of the people who are living in the area. The tribes of the Lower Omo Valley in Ethiopia live in close contact with nature and the river they depend on. The Kwegu fish, eat wild game and a large variety of wild plants, and collect wild honey. The criticism is ?unfounded and unreasonable, [and] aimed to meet self interest under the pretext of the agenda by putting political and diplomatic pressure on the country, thereby, to seek money from donors,?says the national security adviser to Prime Minister Abay Tsehaye. (The Plan is online as 16 MB PDF — or 4 MB PDF). In this exclusive reportage we explore how their ancestral ways of life are being threatened by the impacts of a mega-dam, climate change and a booming tourism industry. The Ethiopian government is creating a cascade of five dams on the upper Omo, a mighty river that winds for 500 miles through the central highlands and … 2. There is a financial benefit from the dam as well, with opportunities to export power to Djibouti, Kenya, Sudan and other country's. Dam controversies: contested governance and developmental discourse on the Ethiopian Omo River dam Article / Letter to editor State mega-infrastructure projects in developing countries evoke challenges to citizenship and reconstruct the imagery of statecraft. Koysha Faces Smear Campaign Like Its Predecessors Supporters say it will provide electricity for millions of Africans. The country is predicting that the export of electricity will surpass its export of coffee. But evidence is mounting that the dam could be a development disaster for Ethiopia and the region. The Omo River flows entirely within Southern Ethiopia, emptying into Lake Turkana near the Kenyan border. Industry associations and lending institutions say they have retooled their evaluation procedures for large hydro dams and have started to apply new construction guidelines developed by a discussion forum, the World Commission on Dams. ABEBE SINE A quick summary is that the first of this series of dams, Gibe 1, is complete and generating about 184 megawatts. The dam is located about 190 miles southwest of Ethiopia's capitol Addis Ababa on the Omo River. the decreased water flow of omo river resulting gibe iii dam have significant impacts on ecosystems surrounding river. The floods will be gone in 2014 when the dam is complete. The river runs between the two parks providing them both with its invaluable resource. Supporters say the Gibe III and other large hydroelectric dams provide cheap and efficient ?green? ?A choice has been made to build what will be Africa?s tallest dam without considering the effects it is going to have on the people who live immediately downstream for it,? There are several power stations and dams in the Omo River basin which are named after the Gilgel Gibe River and Gibe River, which are tributaries of the Omo River. When all is said and done, the tribes of the Omo Valley who are going to be affected by this dam are going to get precious little benefit from it,? It rises in the Ethiopian Plateau and flows southward for about 400 miles (644 km) into the northern end of Lake Rudolf; it is the lake’s only perennial affluent. At nearly 244 meters tall, Gibe III is Africa’s tallest dam and the continent’s third largest hydroelectric plant. survival of forest dependent upon seasonal flooding of omo river, cease construction of dam. The giant Gibe III dam, now being built on the Omo River in southwestern Ethiopia is a boon for some, a problem for others. The Gilgel Gibe III hydroelectric dam under construction in Ethiopia is no small piece of infrastructure. The Ethiopian government further says Gibe III, aside from generating enough electricity to power the country several times over, will increase the safety of the downstream peoples by preventing the giant floods that sweep away livestock and people. The Omo river, dammed for the US$1.8 billion 1,870-MW Gibe III hydroelectric dam. omo river basin home pristine riparian forest remaining in drylands of sub-saharan africa. says Duffield. The dam wall will be 240 meters high, the tallest dam in Africa, and create a 150-kilometer-long reservoir. It will reduce the flow of water to farmers and pastoralists living downstream, including those 600 kilometres to the south in Kenya, where the river flows … NWNL So, let’s jump right into discussing that cascade of dams being constructed on the Gibe River as it plunges down steep canyons to fertile Omo River plains. Ethiopia launches new Omo River hydroelectric plant Some fear the dam could destroy traditional ways of life A new hydroelectric plant has been inaugurated in Ethiopia - part of a controversial project on the Omo River. The river is used for irrigation, food, drinking water, bathing, washing and entertainment. ItFarmer Plowing fields in Omo Valley where the River is a vital resource will block the natural flow of the River, causing a reduction of water flow to the southern part of Ethiopia, also known as Omo Valley. Create a free … Giant dam and irrigated sugar plantations mean people in lower Omo valley face starvation and conflict, says US thinktank Residents of the … The lake gets more than 80 percent of its fresh water from the Omo River. Last March the government announced plans to build a new, 2,000-MW hydropower dam also on the Omo River. she says. Yo, el titular de los derechos de autor de esta obra, la publico en los términos de la siguiente licencia: Este archivo está disponible bajo la licencia Creative Commons Atribución-CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional. or. Even with the current grid expansion most households will rely on charcoal and wood. Dam controversies: contested governance and developmental discourse on the Ethiopian Omo River dam Jon Abbink African Studies Centre Leiden, P.O. ?The Omo River is the primary source of Kenya?s famous Lake Turkana, which supports the lives of 300,000 people who pasture their cattle on its banks and fish there. A massive hydro-electric dam, Gibe III, has now been built on the Omo river in order to support vast commercial plantations that are forcing the tribes from their land. Gibe III was a true game changer for the lower Omo. Gibe III is more than 160 kilometers (100 miles) from where the Omo empties into Lake Turkana. Teams of workers are blasting out the "keyhole" - the slot in the side of the valley that will hold the dam wall in place. Download with Google Download with Facebook. Upon completion, the $1.7 billon, Gibe III power project will have capacity to generate up to 1,870 megawatts of electric power, potentially enabling Ethiopia to export power to neighboring countries. The dam is located about 190 miles southwest of Ethiopia's capitol Addis Ababa on the Omo River. US Marks 400th Anniversary of Arrival of First Africans, The Dragon's Reach - China's Economic Power Play. [It was] a great move on the part of the commission at that time, but at this moment not clearly being applied to the Gibe III project in Ethiopia,? A very controversial dam, the Gibe III is being constructed up river from their lands. The Ethiopian government says with the construction of the dam it plans to boost the current 2,000 megawatts hydropower generation capacity to 8,000. a 2,000-strong band of Omo-flood cultivators, hunters and gatherers, and goat herders. The lower Omo valley is rich in wildlife and was designated a UNESCO World It is considered to be the countries largest investment project and is expected to supply Ethiopia half of its electricity. In this exclusive reportage we explore how their ancestral ways of life are being threatened by the impacts of a mega-dam, climate change and a booming tourism industry. The Ethiopian dam-affected people – who, like those on the Kenyan side, are largely indigenous peoples leading traditional lifestyles – have heard little or nothing about the project and their options, even though the changes to the Omo will upset the fragile balance of river bank cultivation and herding they maintain, unraveling the valley’s best strategy against food insecurity. The Lower Omo Valley is culturally and biologically diverse and home to thousands of indigenous people. Even with the increased power output, most households in Ethiopia will receive limited or no electricity. Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has repeatedly stressed that no outside pressure would stop the Ethiopian government from completing the construction of the dam. energy that can supply electricity to millions. For better of worse, the Gilgel Gibe III Dam currently under construction far upstream will transform this region. Its estimated production capacity is 6,500 GWh a year. The damage caused by the Gibe III dam could be far reaching, according to Lindsay Duffield campaigner at Survival International. The Gibe 3 Dam is in the early phases of construction on Ethiopia's powerful Omo River, using $500 million dollars in equipment funded by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC). The plan recommended that a dam be built on the Omo River in conjunction with irrigated plantations downstream, made possible by the dam’s regulation of the Omo River’s flow. Location 190 miles (300 km) southwest of Addis Ababa, on the Omo River Cost US $1.7 billion Dam Design Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) gravity dam 787 ft (240 meters) tall – the tallest dam in Africa