A huge newly-built Ethiopian dam is cutting off the supply of water to Lake Turkana in northern Kenya, threatening the livelihoods of some 500,000 people in both countries, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The rights group released these satellite images showing the increase in water near the dam, and the receding coastline of Lake Turkana:
The Gibe III dam, along with a network of sugar plantations, has caused the depth of Lake Turkana to drop by 1.5m (4.9ft) from its previous levels since the dam’s reservoir began filling in 2015, according to the HRW.
In one part – Ferguson Gulf – the satellite images show the lake has receded by 1.7km (1.06 miles).
This could seriously affect food supplies in the Omo Valley and Lake Turkana, which provide the livelihoods for half a million people in both Kenya and Ethiopia. The Ethiopian government’s moves to develop its resources should not endanger the survival of indigenous people living downstream.”
Fishermen on the lake told the BBC’s Nancy Kacungira last month that they no longer haul in as much as they used to – one told her the decrease was significant:
“I used to go fishing twice a day, now I go once a day.” he said.
The dam is expected to double the electricity output of Ethiopia, AFP adds.
Built at a cost of $1.6bn (£1.28bn), Gibe III is is expected to double the electricity output of Ethiopia.
HRW said the government’s move to “develop its resources hsould not endanger the survival of indigenous people living downstream”.
“The predicted drop in the lake levels will seriously affect food supplies in the Omo Valley and Lake Turkana, which provide the livelihoods for half a million people in both Kenya and Ethiopia,” it added.
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