Tanzania: Wildlife Park versus Hydropower | Africa | '
Construction work on a controversial hydropower plant began in the Selous Reserve in southern Tanzania last Saturday. Energy Minister Medard Kalemani said that the preparatory work had been completed – the two contracted Egyptian companies could now start building the dam on the Rufiji River. The government of the East African country wants to bring the development of the power supply decisively forward with the project. With a capacity of 2.1 gigawatts, the power plant is expected to more than double Tanzania's energy production. The project has been widely criticized for it would mean a massive destruction of a nature reserve and world natural heritage. But not only that – experts also doubt the meaningfulness of the dam.
In fact, people in particular in remote areas lack the connection to the power grid, says Johannes Kirchgatter of the WWF in an interview with ‘. According to the UNDP, only 16 percent of the population in rural areas have access to electricity. Nevertheless, Kirchgatter does not believe that the construction of the megastast dam above the Stiegler Gorge of Tanzania can solve energy problems. Originally, this was not provided for in the national energy program, according to Kirchgatter: on the contrary, they spoke of the "need for diversification" in order to ensure security of supply. According to Kirchgatter's assessment, this is urgently required: "Tanzania is already very much dependent on the water supply and the water supply of the Rufiji River." Upstream already existed power plants. However, climate change would make droughts more common in this region, according to Kirchgatter. As the almost 100-percent dependence on the water flow of a single river is not recommended.
Multiple threats – the Selous National Park in southern Tanzania
Economic success questionable
A megaproject will not be able to solve Tanzania's power problem. This is confirmed by Christoph Hoffmann, the development policy spokesman of the FDP parliamentary group. Above all, Tanzania first of all has a line and network problem. So, if more electricity is produced today, it can not be transported to the regions where it is needed. At the moment, one can only speculate about the economic success of the dam, says Hoffmann. However, the fact is that huge dams had already been cleared for the dam. In the current situation of the climate crisis, it was fatal that "huge areas of forest disappear that could actually have stored CO2".
That is why the FDP had pleaded in a parliamentary debate in January to link further development aid for Tanzania to the waiver of the construction of the dam. The construction project was criticized in the German Bundestag across all factions. Ultimately, an application was made by the CDU / CSU and SPD factions. In it, the federal government is called upon, together with the Tanzanian government, to seek alternatives to the major project that do not call into question the status of the game reserve. The Liberals' proposal, on the other hand, was called paternalism by the Greens. A proposal to use gas turbines as a transitional solution was also rejected: this would burn fossil fuels for another 50 years, the critics of other parliamentarians said.
Germany supports the endangered World Natural Heritage
Funding unclear – is still built
Hoffmann regrets this – according to him, the alternative proposal would have allowed the Tanzanian president to protect his face by securing the country's power supply. At the same time, according to the liberal, one would have gained time to build a decentralized, sustainable power supply. Hoffmann sees dam construction as a sovereign decision of Tanzania. On the other hand, the Bundestag decided to financially support the Selous Reserve – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If Tanzania destroys this, the financial support must be discontinued as a consequence. "Otherwise you are in principle also unbelievable to your own taxpayer," says Hoffmann: "You can not support what is being destroyed."
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He has no great hopes that the construction can now be stopped. Although the financing of the entire project is far from secured – so far, just 500 million US dollars were raised. Total cost estimates range from $ 3.9 billion to $ 10 billion. Hoffmann says it has not been possible to find out who the financiers are. Because both the World Bank and IMF had not granted loans for the project. He suspects, however, that China could join the project.
Largest wildlife sanctuary in Africa
Johannes Kirchgatter from the WWF says that the Tanzanian government is now concerned with creating facts: "The government's plan is to create a certain pressure to act by creating facts." If the area were completely removed from the list of world heritage, more investors could be attracted, because so the argument of the destruction of a world heritage is virtually off the table.
The Selous is the largest contiguous wildlife sanctuary in Africa and of breathtaking diversity
This world heritage, the Selous Game Reserve, is considered Africa's largest wildlife sanctuary. With more than 50,000 square kilometers, it is larger than Switzerland. Because of its diverse flora and fauna, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982. Hippos, elephants, giraffes, lions, the endangered African wild dogs and more than 400 species of birds have their home here. However, since 2014, the Sanctuary has been on the Red List of World Heritage in Danger due to organized poaching that threatens livestock. Now he could be denied the status because of the hydroelectric power plant.
Serious consequences for nature and man
For the construction of the reservoir, the future floodplain must be cleared of any vegetation, Kirchgatter explains: "This is an area of well over 1000 square kilometers – larger than the area of the state of Berlin and about the size of all protected areas in Germany together." The effects would be fatal. Because with the reservoir would simultaneously roads and settlements in the park arise, industrialized the whole region – in the middle of the reserve. But even outside the reserve, downstream, could be expected to serious consequences. There, the previous floods would fail to provide the mangrove forests in the river delta with fresh water and thus serve the coastal protection. Also the fishermen in the river delta could have the disadvantage, if this dry out.
Collaboration: Martina Schwikowski
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