The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Merowe Dam in Sudan,
the largest hydropower project currently under construction in Africa,
is of poor quality and does not address many of the project’s potential
impacts on the environment. These are the main findings of an
independent review of the EIA which was just published by EAWAG, the
Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology.
The Merowe Dam is a prominent example of China’s expansive role as an
investor in international energy and mining projects. International
Rivers Network calls on the companies that are developing the project –
China’s CCMD Consortium, Alstom, Lahmeyer International and ABB – to
suspend project construction until the environmental impacts have been
adequately addressed.
The main conclusions of the EAWAG review are:
-
Poor quality EIA: According to the review,
"key environmental issues such as reservoir sedimentation, irrigation,
water quality and downstream ecological impacts (...) were not
addressed adequately."
-
Fluctuating water levels: Dam
operations will cause the downstream water level to fluctuate by 4-5
meters every day. The reservoir surface will fluctuate between 350-800
square kilometers every year. The strong fluctuations will erode the
river banks, making it difficult for farmers to collect water and fish
in the river and reservoir.
-
Sedimentation: Up to 130 million
tons of sediment will be deposited in the reservoir every year. As a
consequence, the storage capacity will be reduced by 34% within 50
years. This will seriously diminish the capacity of the project to
generate electricity.
-
Aquatic Ecology: The dam will
block fish migration. The fluctuating water levels and erosion of the
river banks will destroy fish spawning areas and the habitats of other
organisms.
-
Water quality and health:
Pollution and the decomposition of organic matter may create public
health hazards for people drinking water or eating fish from the
reservoir. Furthermore, "stagnant water and exposure of a large area of
the river bed can create perfect breeding conditions for mosquitoes,
vectors of malaria and yellow fever and the water flea, host of the
guinea-worm."
-
Climate change: Large amounts of
plant matter, algae and soil will decompose in the Merowe reservoir,
and will produce carbon dioxide and methane in the process. According
to International Rivers calculations, the Merowe Project will emit roughly the same
amount of greenhouse gases as a natural gas project generating the same
amount of electricity.
International Rivers received a copy of the confidential
EIA in 2005, and encouraged EAWAG to conduct the independent review.
Peter Bosshard, Policy Director of International Rivers, says:
"The Merowe Dam will have serious environmental
impacts on the Nile Valley, the lifeline for Northern Sudan. The
project violates Sudan’s Environmental Protection Act and all
internationally accepted environmental standards. The Merowe Dam could
not be built in most other countries, and is a test case for the
commitment of leading hydropower companies to the minimal standards of
environmental stewardship. The companies that are developing the
project should suspend construction until the serious environmental
impacts have been adequately addressed."
The Merowe Dam on the Nile is the largest hydropower project currently
under construction in Africa. Once completed in 2008/09, the dam’s
reservoir will be 200 kilometers long, and will have the capacity to
produce 1,250 megawatts of power. The project is currently displacing
50,000 people from the fertile Nile valley to arid locations in the
Nubian Desert.
For further information, please contact:
Peter Bosshard, International Rivers
E-mail: peter [at] internationalrivers [dot] org'
Phone: +1 510-848-1155 (office)
Mobile: +1 510-213-1438
Prof. Bernhard Wehrli, EAWAG
E-mail: bernhard.wehrli [at] eawag [dot] ch
Phone: +41 41 349 2117 (office)
Mobile: +41 79 303 17 67
Prof. Alfred Wueest, EAWAG
E-mail: alfred.wueest [at] eawag [dot] ch
Phone: +41 41 349 2181 (office)
Mobile: +41 79 240 4844
