Staudamm in Äthiopien: Kenia fürchtet um Wasser
© REUTERS/TIKSA NEGERIBlick auf den Staudamm Gibe III.
Wasserkraftwerk verdoppelt Stromproduktion des Landes. Umweltschützer warnen vor Wasserknappheit im Omo-Tal und am Turkana-See in Kenia.
Äthiopien hat am Samstag einen gigantischen Staudamm eingeweiht. Mit dem Wasserkraftwerk am Omo-Fluss, das eine Leistung von 1.870 Megawatt haben soll, will Äthiopien seine Stromproduktion fast verdoppeln. Umweltschützer und Menschenrechtsorganisatoren kritisieren, dass der Staudamm die Lebensgrundlage von hunderttausenden Menschen im Omo-Tal und am kenianischen Turkana-See gefährdet.
Knapp ein Jahrzehnt Bauzeit
© REUTERS/TIKSA NEGERI
A partial view shows Gibe III hydroelectric dam during its inauguration in Shoma Yero village in Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region in Ethiopia, December 17, 2016. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri
Der Gibe-III-Damm, der rund 350 südwestlich der Hauptstadt Addis Abeba liegt, ist mit einer Höhe von 243 Metern der drittgrößte Staudamm Afrikas. Der Bau des umgerechnet 1,5 Milliarden teuren Bauwerks hatte neun Jahre gedauert, finanziert wurde er zu 60 Prozent von der chinesischen Exim-Bank.
Umweltschützer fürchten negative Folgen
© APA/AFP/CARL DE SOUZA
(FILES) This file photo taken on May 20, 2012 shows Lake Turkana near Loiyangalani on May 20, 2012.
Ethiopia on December 17, 2016 inaugurated a hydroelectric dam aiming to double the country's electricity output and advance the nation's ambitions as an exporter of renewable energy. The Gibe III dam, which reaches 243 metres (800 feet) in height, is the third-largest dam in African and the biggest in a series built along the Omo River. When it comes fully online, the Gibe III is expected to produce 1,870 megawatts of power, enough to sell energy abroad including to neighbouring Kenya. But environmentalists and rights groups warn the project will dramatically decrease water levels downstream all the way to Kenya's Lake Turkana, which derives 80 percent of its resources from the river. The lives of hundreds of thousands of people who make their living in the Omo River valley and on Turkana, both UNESCO World Heritage sites, would be affected, they say. / AFP PHOTO / CARL DE SOUZA
Umweltschützer warnen davor, dass der Wasserspiegel am Unterlauf des Omo und im Turkana-See in Kenia durch den Staudamm dramatisch sinken könnte. Das Omo-Tal und der Turkana-See gehören zum Weltkulturerbe der UNESCO. Die UN-Kulturorganisation hat das Bauprojekt daher ebenfalls kritisiert. Die Menschenrechtsorganisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) warf der äthiopischen Regierung zudem vor, hunderttausende Menschen aus dem Omo-Tal zu vertreiben, um das Land mit Hilfe künstlicher Bewässerung für den Zuckerrohranbau zu nutzen.
Weiteres Mega-Projekt in Planung
Übertrumpft wird der Gibe-III-Damm noch von einem weiteren äthiopischen Staudammprojekt: Der Renaissance-Damm am Blauen Nil soll bei Fertigstellung im Jahr 2017 eine Leistung von 6.000 Megawatt haben und der größte des Kontinents sein. Das Projekt ist vor allem in Ägypten umstritten, da das Land auf den Nil als Trinkwasserreservoir und für die Bewässerung großer landwirtschaftlicher Flächen angewiesen ist.
Weitere Bilder
© APA/AFP/JENNY VAUGHAN
(FILES) This file photo taken on May 22, 2012 shows a view of the controversial Gibe III dam under construction in EthiopiaÕs Omo valley.
Ethiopia on December 17, 2016 inaugurated a hydroelectric dam aiming to double the country's electricity output and advance the nation's ambitions as an exporter of renewable energy. The Gibe III dam, which reaches 243 metres (800 feet) in height, is the third-largest dam in African and the biggest in a series built along the Omo River. When it comes fully online, the Gibe III is expected to produce 1,870 megawatts of power, enough to sell energy abroad including to neighbouring Kenya. But environmentalists and rights groups warn the project will dramatically decrease water levels downstream all the way to Kenya's Lake Turkana, which derives 80 percent of its resources from the river. The lives of hundreds of thousands of people who make their living in the Omo River valley and on Turkana, both UNESCO World Heritage sites, would be affected, they say. / AFP PHOTO / JENNY VAUGHAN
© APA/AFP/JENNY VAUGHAN
(FILES) This file photo taken on May 22, 2012 shows a view of the controversial Gibe III dam under construction in EthiopiaÕs Omo valley.
Ethiopia on December 17, 2016 inaugurated a hydroelectric dam aiming to double the country's electricity output and advance the nation's ambitions as an exporter of renewable energy. The Gibe III dam, which reaches 243 metres (800 feet) in height, is the third-largest dam in African and the biggest in a series built along the Omo River. When it comes fully online, the Gibe III is expected to produce 1,870 megawatts of power, enough to sell energy abroad including to neighbouring Kenya. But environmentalists and rights groups warn the project will dramatically decrease water levels downstream all the way to Kenya's Lake Turkana, which derives 80 percent of its resources from the river. The lives of hundreds of thousands of people who make their living in the Omo River valley and on Turkana, both UNESCO World Heritage sites, would be affected, they say. / AFP PHOTO / JENNY VAUGHAN
© REUTERS/TIKSA NEGERI
A partial view shows Gibe III hydroelectric dam during its inauguration in Shoma Yero village in Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region in Ethiopia, December 17, 2016. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri
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