From owner-irn-safrica@igc.org Mon Oct 18 19:30:22 1999 Return-Path: Received: from igc7.igc.org (igc7.igc.org [192.82.108.35]) by lox.sandelman.ottawa.on.ca (8.8.7/8.8.8) with ESMTP id TAA28438 for ; Mon, 18 Oct 1999 19:30:21 -0400 (EDT) Received: by igc7.igc.org (8.9.3/8.9.3) id QAA29716; Mon, 18 Oct 1999 16:25:29 -0700 (PDT) Received: from lanshark.lanminds.com (lanshark.lanminds.com [208.25.68.5]) by igc7.igc.org (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id QAA29422 for ; Mon, 18 Oct 1999 16:24:37 -0700 (PDT) Received: from [208.25.72.72] (irn7.there.net [208.25.72.72]) by lanshark.lanminds.com (8.8.8/8.8.7) with SMTP id QAA10380 for ; Mon, 18 Oct 1999 16:24:36 -0700 (PDT) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 16:25:44 -0700 From: lori@irn.org (Lori Pottinger) Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Precedence: bulk Sender: owner-irn-safrica@igc.org Subject: Uganda dam article in Multinational Monitor/LS To: irn-safrica@igc.org X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by igc7.igc.org id QAA29423 X-Sender: lorip@pop.lmi.net Status: OR The following appears in the June 1999 issue of Multinational Monitor (eventually, it will be on the magazine's web site: www.essential.org/monitor/monitor/html). The author lived in Uganda near the site of the proposed dam. He wrote this while interning at IRN. Falling for AES's Plan? Uganda Debates Damming the Nile by Stephen Linaweaver Uganda is a lush, land-locked country tucked between the tropical forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the expansive, dry plains of Kenya and Tanzania. More than 20 percent of the country's surface is covered in water. Uganda is home to the world's second largest lake, Lake Victoria, as well as the source of the world's longest river, the Nile. In its more than 4,000 mile journey to Cairo and the Mediterranean, the Nile drops more than 4,000 feet. Over half of that descent occurs in Uganda, a fact which has hydropower developers eager to set up shop. But the dam lobby faces several obstacles in its efforts to convince Uganda to invest in dam construction -- not the least of which is the fact that the country appears not to need the new power which the dams would provide. Uganda's dam debate now centers on a proposal by the U.S.-based AES corporation, the largest independent power producer in the world, to construct a $523 million, 290 megawatt (MW) dam near Bujagali Falls on the Nile. The 22-meter-high dam would be built 10 miles below two other large dams, the Owens Falls Dam, built in 1954 during British colonial rule, and the Owens Falls Extension Project, currently being constructed by the Canadian firm Acres International Limited. The Ugandan Parliament has repeatedly criticized the Bujagali project, but with President Musevni strongly supporting the proposal, all eyes have turned to the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), an autonomous arm of the Ugandan government. AES is currently waiting for NEMA's approval, or rejection, of the Bujagali proposal. The delay has frustrated company officials, who had hoped to request formal funding from the International Finance Corporation, the private lending arm of the World Bank. Instead, the IFC has pulled back from the project and undertaken a study of Uganda's energy potential. THE SAVE BUGAGALI CRUSADE Leading the charge against the AES dam proposal are more than 1,000 Save Bujagali Crusaders. Martin Musumba, a former district chairman (equivalent to a governor in the United States) organized the Save Bujagali Crusade in July 1998. The Save Bujagali Crusade (www.uganda.co.ug/bujagali) has carried the banner for hundreds of people who would be displaced by the project, and for Bujagali Falls, which would be obliterated by AES's plans. The Bujagali Falls project would create a 390-hectare reservoir, flooding the Nile all the way to the base of the existing Owens Falls Dam. According to AES's environmental impact assessment, the dam would displace 820 people and affect an additional 6,000 people, including by submerging communal lands, burial sites or portions of their land. The Jinja District, where the dam would be built, is one of the most heavily populated non-urban areas in the country, and replacement land for those who would lose homes or crops is practically non-existent in the area. Many of the families that would be displaced have been in the area for generations. In addition, the reservoir is expected to increase serious water-borne diseases like malaria and schistosomiasis. Stagnant pools of water are breeding grounds for malaria-carrying mosquitoes and schistosomiasis-spreading vector snails. Bujagali Falls is a spectacular series of cascading rapids which Ugandans consider a national treasure. The AES project would completely inundate the falls, "destroy[ing] this first class magnificent treasure of Uganda," according to Musumba. With the true "Source of the Nile" submerged by the Owens Falls Dam in 1954, Bujagali has become a popular site for Ugandans as well as foreign tourists. Bujagali is also a cultural and religious site, where the "Spirit of Bujagali" has had a storied association with the Falls for centuries. The Spirit is the cultural embodiment of the community, and is believed to protect the community from harm by performing rituals at the Falls. The current spirit -- an actual person who lives in a mud hut 100 yards from the Falls -- is the thirty-ninth. AES's project environmental assessment dismisses the falls as "attractive but not exceptional," and states that the Spirit of Bujagali is willing to move to another site. Musumba has not been the only voice speaking in opposition to the Bujagali Project. The National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE), a group of Ugandan lawyers, commented in a recent statement that "humanity is waking up to the realities of cultural, ecological, and environmental disruption by huge hydro-power dam projects." Oweyagha Afunduula, NAPE's leader, says that NAPE's mission is to "reverse the degradation of the River Nile system, and support the protection of local communities and the restoring of the well-being of the people, cultures and ecosystems." AES's Christian Wright brushes off local opposition as an inevitable but manageable feature of large dam proposals. "A project this size will always have someone taking an issue against it," he says. But local controversy escalated beyond the norm in December, when the Uganda Confidential, a Ugandan political monthly, alleged that AES had bribed the then-Energy Minister, Richard Kaijuka. The Confidential reported that AES had paid Kaijuka $240,000 to support the Bujagali Falls Hydropower Project, and that AES had promised Kaijuka a further $260,000 if he could get a controversial Power Purchase Agreement signed. Although Kaijuka was fired as Energy Minister soon after the article was printed, no further investigation of the incident was conducted. "There was no justification, no proof," says Wright of the allegations. According to Wafalu Ogutu, the Uganda chapter director for the international corruption watchdog organization Transparency International, "Nothing has been said again about [Richard Kaijuka] having got a bribe from AES Power. … I am not sure whether anybody is investigating the matter, or whether the man was dropped simply to be saved from a possible investigation." AES's Wright has a simple explanation for Kaijuka's firing: "The cabinet was rotated as a result of frustration on the part of the executive that the AES project was not progressing fast enough." AES's POWER: WHO NEEDS IT? The standard debates about the costs of dam building -- displacement of communities, environmental harm, destruction of tourist attractions -- versus the benefits of energy provision may obscure special features of the Uganda case. Notably, the country does not appear to need most of the new power that would be generated by the dam, and it has cheaper alternatives available. The industry publication Hydropower and Dams estimates Uganda's energy demand will be 320 MW by 2000. With the 180 MW Owens Falls Dam and the 200 MW Owens Falls Extension (to be up and running in 18 months), Uganda appears to have a surplus of power. Moreover, with only 5 percent of Ugandans currently connected to the national power grid, large hydro is not likely to bring power to Ugandans now without power, due to the expense of extending the national grid to remote areas. Given the present surplus, the limited reach of the grid and the insolvency of Uganda's ailing electricity parastatal, the Uganda Electricity Board (UEB), AES is worried that there may be no one to buy the power it is so eager to produce for Uganda. The company has sought a binding guarantee from the Parliament that the Uganda government will purchase the power directly in the event UEB fails to do so. Parliamentarians, however, are nervous about making such a guarantee, and they are not the only Ugandans who are skeptical. "There is no reason the country of Uganda should be subsidizing a major multinational corporation like AES," Musumba concludes. Such a government commitment would constitute a real burden on generations to come, says Musumba. AES power may cost as much as 12 cents per kilowatt -- about twice the cost in the United States -- in a country where two thirds of the population lives in severe poverty. A sounder investment than a blank check to AES, say critics, would be modest expenditures to fix the poor transmission lines responsible for an annual average loss of 30 percent of the power produced by the Owens Falls Dam. If more energy is needed nonetheless, Save Bujagali Crusaders prefer a different power plan, a 200 MW, $350 million hydropower project at Karuma Falls in Northern Uganda by the Norwegian firm Norpak. Instead of a dam and reservoir, Norpak has proposed an underground sluice. According to Norpak, and the Save Bujagali Crusade agrees, the Karuma project would be cheaper, more flexible and less environmentally destructive than the Bujagali Falls dam. The Karuma Falls area is far less populated than the area surrounding Bujagali. The recurring difficulties faced by AES have encouraged Norpak to move ahead quickly with plans for its project. Norpak has completed its environmental impact assessment, and the new Minister of Energy, Syda Bumba, has officially endorsed the Norwegian project. Christian Wright remains confident the AES project will proceed, however, saying, "The general feeling is that both projects will be needed." Whether both projects do in fact proceed may turn in large part on whether Uganda can secure power purchase commitments from neighboring Kenya. THE BANK HESITATES Although Museveni and his cabinet appear to remain firmly committed to building both Karuma and Bujagali, Uganda will face an uphill fight to get funding for both projects. With questions regarding demand and transmission arising, and clashes between anti-dam campaigners and hydro-developers increasing, the World Bank's International Finance Corporation has been forced to take a step back from the Bujagali Project, which it was eagerly pursuing in the early stages, and instead review all potential energy supply projects for Uganda's energy sector. While AES has not formally asked IFC for funding, it is expected to make a request soon. Ron Anderson, principal environmental specialist for the Environment Division of the IFC, is openly reserved about moving forward quickly in Uganda. "The issues in Uganda are very complicated," Anderson says, "A project on the Nile may require both a sectoral environmental assessment, looking at economic issues, as well as a regional environmental assessment, looking at the power demand in East Africa. Big hydropower on the Nile may not win out." The IFC has commissioned a review of various options for meeting electricity demand in Uganda, with a final report expected in October 1999. The review, commissioned in March 1999, is being carried out by Canada's Acres International with Kagga and Partners Limited, a Ugandan consulting firm. While the study will reportedly not prioritize projects, Anderson says, "it will consist of a list of projects which are possibilities in the eyes of the IFC." It remains to be seen whether a dam consulting firm will provide a fair assessment of options other than hydro. AES desperately wants its project to be on the IFC list, and may be counting on its past strong relationship with the IFC to get it there. The IFC is currently working with AES in three other countries, and has worked with the company several times in the past. THE SOLAR ALTERNATIVE In Uganda, the potential for alternatives to large hydro is strong. A 1996 World Bank/ UN Development Program study rates Uganda's solar conditions as favorable, and the U.S. Department of Energy lists Uganda's solar potential between 4 and 6 kilowatt-hours per square meter. A critical benefit of solar in a country such as Uganda is that it does not require connection to the national grid, negating the need for huge capital investments to make electricity available to the rural population. Photovoltaic solar systems have already proved successful in the region. In neighboring Kenya, more households get their electricity from the sun than from the national grids, according to the Economist, and South Africa is currently installing solar panels on 30,000 homes currently without power. Poor countries do not have unlimited resources to make capital investments in imported technologies and services. A commitment to big hydropower now -- especially if accompanied by promises to buy any excessenergy in the future -- may preclude Uganda from instead traveling down the solar path. END :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program, and Editor, World Rivers Review International Rivers Network 1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA Tel. (510) 848 1155 Fax (510) 848 1008 http://www.irn.org :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: From owner-irn-safrica@igc.org Mon Oct 18 17:33:39 1999 Return-Path: Received: from igcb.igc.org (igcb.igc.org [192.82.108.46]) by lox.sandelman.ottawa.on.ca (8.8.7/8.8.8) with ESMTP id RAA26911 for ; Mon, 18 Oct 1999 17:33:38 -0400 (EDT) Received: by igcb.igc.org (8.9.2/8.9.2) id OAA03766; Mon, 18 Oct 1999 14:28:53 -0700 (PDT) Received: from lanshark.lanminds.com (lanshark.lanminds.com [208.25.68.5]) by igcb.igc.org (8.9.2/8.9.2) with ESMTP id OAA03707 for ; Mon, 18 Oct 1999 14:28:44 -0700 (PDT) Received: from [208.25.72.72] (irn7.there.net [208.25.72.72]) by lanshark.lanminds.com (8.8.8/8.8.7) with SMTP id OAA01281 for ; Mon, 18 Oct 1999 14:28:44 -0700 (PDT) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 14:29:51 -0700 From: lori@irn.org (Lori Pottinger) Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Precedence: bulk Sender: owner-irn-safrica@igc.org Subject: LHWP article in Green Left Weekly/LS To: irn-safrica@igc.org X-Sender: lorip@pop.lmi.net Status: OR This is a bit old, sorry for the delay. -----Original Message----- From: Green Left Parramatta Date: Tuesday, September 28, 1999 1:57 PM Subject: Lesotho megadams: monument to inequality > The following article appears in the latest >issue of Green Left Weekly (http://www.greenleft.org.au), >Australia's radical newspaper. > >***************************************************** > > > >Lesotho mega-dams: monuments to inequality and corruption > >By David Letsie >and Patrick Bond > >JOHANNESBURG -- The apartheid-era South African government's >decision in the mid-1980s to commit R15 billion (US$2.5 billion) >of the Johannesburg-Pretoria metropolitan area's future income >into two unnecessary, destructive mega-dams -- the Lesotho >Highlands Water Project (LHWP) -- has come under renewed >criticism in the wake of corruption revelations. > >In a court case in Maseru, Lesotho's capital, LHWP ex-chief >Masupha Sole was accused of a decade-long spree of bribery. After >an intensive legal struggle over access to Swiss bank records, >corporations representing the who's who of the dam-building >industry were implicated in backhanding Sole several million >dollars. Allegations of corruption have followed the same >corporations from Kenya, Brazil, Paraguay, Guatemala and >Argentina, where bribery claims led President Carlos Menem to >label dams ``monuments to corruption''. > >The firms include transnational corporations ABB of Switzerland, >Impregilio of Italy and Dumez of France (owned by water >privatiser Lyonnais des Eaux). > >LHWP corruption is the tip of the iceberg. The scandal has >brought to public attention a deeper problem: Johannesburg does >not need and cannot afford Lesotho water. > >In 1998, the World Bank's internal inspection panel rejected a >formal submission by three residents of the impoverished black >Alexandra township. This pointed out that, thanks to the LHWP, >Johannesburg's formerly white suburbs are drowning in water, >while black townships are dehydrated. > >Affluent white people get too much water (on average, seven times >as much as black households) at a price that is too low, and are >not interested in conserving water. Too much is used for keeping >gardens green in winter and filling swimming pools in summer. > >Low-income black people in Alexandra and other townships are >subjected to indiscriminate water cut-offs, one tap for every 50 >people in most areas, inadequate water pressure and leaky pipes. >While services are decaying, the water bills of Alexandra >township residents have soared, due almost entirely to the LHWP. > >Across Johannesburg, low-income people pay a disproportionate >share for the Lesotho dams. Even the World Bank has acknowledged >that while Johannesburg residents' water bills rose on average by >35% between 1995 and 1998, the bills of people with the lowest >consumption rocketed by 55%. The adverse effects of unequal water >distribution on public health, ecology, gender relations and the >economy are well documented. > >Notwithstanding extensive publicity about government plans for >water conservation and improved water access for the masses, >there has been no apparent improvement. > >Worse, alongside bureaucratic lethargy concerning water >redistribution, the next phase of planning for the LHWP has >already begun. (There are five huge dams in the original World >Bank scheme, making the LHWP Africa's largest ever construction >project.) A promised government study of water conservation and >demand management is nowhere near completion. > >Recent meetings with the government and the World Bank in >Pretoria, and a trip to the Lesotho dam site by concerned >Alexandra residents, demonstrated that legitimate township >grievances about water distribution are still not being taken >seriously. Bank staff refused to address even the >demand-management issue. > >Yet officials of the regional water distributor, Rand Water, last >year estimated that the current dam construction could have been >delayed by up to 17 years, saving R800 million (US$133 million) >per year, if water conservation was taken seriously. > >The bribery unveiled in August may have a silver lining if it >refocuses the public eye on the dam builders. And if corruption >disqualifies some firms from supplying bulk water, as has been >threatened, it will alert South Africans to possible corruption >in retail supply. > >Lyonnais des Eaux and other French and British water companies -- >some of which were introduced to South Africa through deals in >the 1980s with the bantustan (homeland) administrations and are >putting massive pressure on town councils to privatise water and >sanitation services -- have been implicated in corruption >scandals in other parts of the world (Jakarta, Manila, Buenos >Aires, Gary, Rostok). > >The water giants are extremely anxious for the massive >Johannesburg privatisation plan -- iGoli 2002 -- to move forward >despite opposition from trade unions, consumers and many key >members of the African National Congress. > >World Bank task manager John Roome, in a secret internal document >a year ago, wrote that the ``project provides an opportunity to >advance the debate that not all big dams are necessarily bad''. >Activists, experts and journalists are arguing the contrary to >the Cape Town-based World Commission on Dams, using examples in >the northern hemisphere -- where decommissioning of dams is now >under way -- and south-east Asia and Latin America. > >Big, expensive dams are especially bad in the Johannesburg >region, where water consumption patterns are indefensible and >politicians at all levels have not yet attempted to reverse the >inequality underlying the bribery and corruption now indelibly >associated with the LHWP. > >[David Letsie is an Alexandra activist. Patrick Bond teaches at >the main university in Johannesburg, Wits.] > >----------------------------------------------------------------- > >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program, and Editor, World Rivers Review International Rivers Network 1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA Tel. (510) 848 1155 Fax (510) 848 1008 http://www.irn.org :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: From owner-irn-safrica@igc.org Mon Oct 18 16:31:21 1999 Return-Path: Received: from igcb.igc.org (igcb.igc.org [192.82.108.46]) by lox.sandelman.ottawa.on.ca (8.8.7/8.8.8) with ESMTP id QAA25845 for ; Mon, 18 Oct 1999 16:31:20 -0400 (EDT) Received: by igcb.igc.org (8.9.2/8.9.2) id NAA10961; Mon, 18 Oct 1999 13:27:09 -0700 (PDT) Received: from lanshark.lanminds.com (lanshark.lanminds.com [208.25.68.5]) by igcb.igc.org (8.9.2/8.9.2) with ESMTP id NAA10328 for ; Mon, 18 Oct 1999 13:25:34 -0700 (PDT) Received: from [208.25.72.72] (irn7.there.net [208.25.72.72]) by lanshark.lanminds.com (8.8.8/8.8.7) with SMTP id NAA26345 for ; Mon, 18 Oct 1999 13:25:33 -0700 (PDT) Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 13:26:41 -0700 From: lori@irn.org (Lori Pottinger) Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Precedence: bulk Sender: owner-irn-safrica@igc.org Subject: Africa's potential for water wars/LS To: irn-safrica@igc.org X-Sender: lorip@pop.lmi.net Status: OR October 11, 1999 World: Africa Africa's potential water wars The main conflicts in Africa during the next 25 years could be over that most precious of commodities - water, as countries fight for access to scarce resources. Potential 'water wars' are likely in areas where rivers and lakes are shared by more than one country, according to a UN Development Programme (UNDP) report. The possible flashpoints are the Nile, Niger, Volta and Zambezi basins. The report predicts population growth and economic development will lead to nearly one in two people in Africa living in countries facing water scarcity or what is known as 'water stress' within 25 years. Water scarcity is defined as less than 1,000 cu.m of water available per person per year, while water stress means less than 1,500 cu.m of water is available per person per year. The report says that by 2025, 11 more African countries will join the 14 that already suffer from water stress or water scarcity Nile battle The influential head of environmental research institute Worldwatch, Lester Brown, believes that water scarcity is now "the single biggest threat to global food security". He says that if the combined population of the three countries the Nile runs through - Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt - rises as predicted from 150 million today to 340 million in 2050 then there could be intense competition for increasingly limited water resources. "There is already little water left when the Nile reaches the sea," he says. And he predicts that Egypt is unlikely to take kindly to losing out to Ethiopia - a country with one-tenth of its income. Indeed water is already a catalyst for regional conflict. The Economist magazine's Africa editor Richard Dowdon says that part of Egypt's motivation for supporting Eritrea in its conflict with Ethiopia is its mistrust of Addis Ababa's plans for the Blue Nile. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has already threatened to bomb Ethiopia if they build any dams on it, he says. There is also another potential water war in Southern Africa involving Botswana, Namibia and Angola. The River Cuito starts in the marshlands of the Okavango Delta in Botswana before heading to Angola through the Caprivi strip in Namibia - an area that is no stranger to tensions and conflict between neighbours. Grain imports Fresh water is also becoming increasingly unusable because of pollution. But given increasing populations Worldwatch identifies one way of easing demands for water - importing grain. Agriculture is by far the biggest user of water in Africa accounting for 88% of water use. It takes about 1,000 tonnes of water to produce every tonne of grain. Worldwatch says that already the water needed to produce the annual combined imports of grain by the Middle East and North Africa is equivalent to the annual flow of the Nile. Importing grain is much easier than importing water, but for poorer countries in Africa it may not be an option. For this reason the UN proposes monitoring worldwide reserves of drinking water and establishing agreements for the use of water. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program, and Editor, World Rivers Review International Rivers Network 1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA Tel. (510) 848 1155 Fax (510) 848 1008 http://www.irn.org :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: From owner-irn-safrica@igc.org Mon Oct 18 14:37:54 1999 Return-Path: Received: from igcb.igc.org (igcb.igc.org [192.82.108.46]) by lox.sandelman.ottawa.on.ca (8.8.7/8.8.8) with ESMTP id OAA24479 for ; Mon, 18 Oct 1999 14:37:52 -0400 (EDT) Received: by igcb.igc.org (8.9.2/8.9.2) id LAA22629; Mon, 18 Oct 1999 11:18:28 -0700 (PDT) Received: from lanshark.lanminds.com (lanshark.lanminds.com [208.25.68.5]) by igcb.igc.org (8.9.2/8.9.2) with ESMTP id LAA22253 for ; Mon, 18 Oct 1999 11:17:47 -0700 (PDT) Received: from [208.25.72.72] (irn7.there.net [208.25.72.72]) by lanshark.lanminds.com (8.8.8/8.8.7) with SMTP id LAA13912 for ; Mon, 18 Oct 1999 11:17:45 -0700 (PDT) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 11:18:52 -0700 From: lori@irn.org (Lori Pottinger) Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Precedence: bulk Sender: owner-irn-safrica@igc.org Subject: Earthlife Africa Press Release/LS To: irn-safrica@igc.org X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by igcb.igc.org id LAA22260 X-Sender: lorip@pop.lmi.net Status: OR The following has two resolutions supporting anti-dam campaigns: the Epupa Dam in Namibia, and Narmada dams in India. ---------------- Earthlife Africa Durban P.O. Box 18722 Dalbridge 4014 voicelink: 0881252740 cell: 0826521533 tel/fax: +27-31-2052178 e-mail: bryan@cis.co.za ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PRESS RELEASE Earthlife Africa Congress ‘99 Campaigns and Resolutions Earthlife Africa passed the following resolutions at their annual Congress over the weekend 15 October to 17 October 1999 at Treasure Beach in Durban where six branches were represented. The Congress Focus was on "Energy in The Next Millenium" and the campaigns for the year ahead. The campaigns identified as priorities were Energy with a strong focus on campaigning against Nuclear Power, Large Dams in Southern Africa in particular the proposed Epupa Dam in Namibia and Genetically Modified Organisms. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Congress adopted the following Resolutions: Nuclear Power We, the participants in the 1999 Annual Congress of Earthlife Africa, hereby: Reject Eskom’s speculative nuclear energy expansion programme and call for all investment in this programme to be redirected toward development projects of appropriate and clean electricity generating mechanism. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Campaign Against Epupa Dam on Cunene River, Namibia/Angola We, the participants in the 1999 Annual Congress of Earthlife Africa, hereby pledge our support for the Ovahimba People of Namibia in their fight for survival against the proposed Epupa Dam, and our support for the activities of Earthlife Namibia and aligned organisations, in the campaign to stop the dam. We further believe that the Ovahimba Nation should have the right to consent, and the right to veto, over the decision which affects their survival in the short, medium and long term. This proposed Hydro-electric dam will: - flood 380 square kilometers of the prime grazing lands of this nomadic desert tribe; - force 1000 people off the land, which represents 20% of the Ovahimba nation; - drown 6000 palm trees, essential for their survival in harsh desert conditions; - flood ancestral burial sites and sacred land; - cause the influx of 4000 construction workers with the associated problems of aids, alcohol and prostitution. Environmentally, the proposed dam will: - permanently destroy the habitat of three critically endangered fish species - drown the famous Epupa waterfall - cause the annual evaporation of water equivalent to 40 times Windhoek’s annual water requirements. We therefore: - support the 26 Ovahimba chiefs in their signed Declaration in Opposition to the Epupa Dam; - call on International Development Agencies and Financial Institutions not to fund, or be involved with this project which is in direct violation of Human Rights. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EARTHLIFE AFRICA CONGRESS 1999 MEDIA RELEASE : 17 October 1999 At their annual congress held at Treasure Beach, countrywide representatives of Earthlife Africa today endorsed resolutions made by residents of nearby Wentworth, Merebank and Bluff to oppose relocation of their communities and location of more dirty industry in the area. The congress delegates planted an indigenous tree at the site of a 1995 meeting between residents and President Mandela. Congress planning committee member Bryan Ashe said:"This tree will take root here just as the communities have their roots here." The meeting with President Mandela was a turning point in the communities’ struggle to get industries to reduce pollution which has had severe impacts on health in adjacent residential areas. Recent public meetings in Wentworth, Merebank and the Bluff called on Durban Metro to give residents more say in development plans and mandated local organisations to represent their interests, as well as rejecting any development requiring relocation of residents. The Metro’s recent Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) identified possibilities such as the creation of a second container terminal and a chemical industry cluster, which would require relocations. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Support for the People of the Narmada Valley, and the Campaign of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, India We, the participants in the 1999 Annual Congress of Earthlife Africa, hereby pledge our support and solidarity with the communities of the Narmada Valley in their struggle to safeguard their land and livelihoods. And we salute their courage in resolving to drown in the flood waters of the Narmada River due to the raising of the Sardar Sarovar Dam, rather than to be moved off the lands of their ancestors. We therefore call upon the Indian Government to stop the illegal submergence in the Narmada Valley, and support the Narmada Bachao Andolan. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Resolutions supported by the following branches of Earthlife Africa: Earthlife Africa: Cape Town Earthlife Africa: Durban Earthlife Africa: East London Earthlife Africa: Johannesburg Earthlife Africa: Pietermaritzburg Earthlife Africa: University of Cape Town. /ends For Further information contact: Congress: Bryan Ashe ELA Durban: 031 – 2052178 Cell:0826521533 Nuclear Power: Richard Worthington ELA Johannesburg 011- 837 0343 Liz McDaid ELA Cape Town 021- 835182 DAMS Bryan Ashe ELA Durban 031 – 2052178 Cell: 0826521533 Liz McDaid - ELA Cape Town: 021- 6835182 Ulli Eins ELA Namibia: 09264-61-261211

 

Earthlife Africa Durban

P.O. Box 18722

Dalbridge

4014

voicelink: 0881252740

cell: 0826521533

tel/fax: +27-31-2052178

e-mail: bryan@cis.co.za

PRESS RELEASE

Earthlife Africa Congress ‘99 Campaigns and Resolutions

Earthlife Africa passed the following resolutions at their annual Congress over the weekend 15 October to 17 October 1999 at Treasure Beach in Durban where six branches were represented. The Congress Focus was on "Energy in The Next Millenium" and the campaigns for the year ahead.

The campaigns identified as priorities were Energy with a strong focus on campaigning against Nuclear Power, Large Dams in Southern Africa in particular the proposed Epupa Dam in Namibia and Genetically Modified Organisms.

Congress adopted the following Resolutions:

Nuclear Power

We, the participants in the 1999 Annual Congress of Earthlife Africa, hereby:

Reject Eskom’s speculative nuclear energy expansion programme and call for all investment in this programme to be redirected toward development projects of appropriate and clean electricity generating mechanism.

 

Campaign Against Epupa Dam on Cunene River, Namibia/Angola

We, the participants in the 1999 Annual Congress of Earthlife Africa, hereby pledge our support for the Ovahimba People of Namibia in their fight for survival against the proposed Epupa Dam, and our support for the activities of Earthlife Namibia and aligned organisations, in the campaign to stop the dam. We further believe that the Ovahimba Nation should have the right to consent, and the right to veto, over the decision which affects their survival in the short, medium and long term.

This proposed Hydro-electric dam will:

- flood 380 square kilometers of the prime grazing lands of this nomadic desert tribe;

- force 1000 people off the land, which represents 20% of the Ovahimba nation;

- drown 6000 palm trees, essential for their survival in harsh desert conditions;

- flood ancestral burial sites and sacred land;

- cause the influx of 4000 construction workers with the associated problems of aids, alcohol and prostitution.

Environmentally, the proposed dam will:

- permanently destroy the habitat of three critically endangered fish species

- drown the famous Epupa waterfall

- cause the annual evaporation of water equivalent to 40 times Windhoek’s annual water requirements.

We therefore:

- support the 26 Ovahimba chiefs in their signed Declaration in Opposition to the Epupa Dam;

- call on International Development Agencies and Financial Institutions not to fund, or be involved with this project which is in direct violation of Human Rights.

 

EARTHLIFE AFRICA CONGRESS 1999 MEDIA RELEASE : 17 October 1999

At their annual congress held at Treasure Beach, countrywide representatives of Earthlife Africa today endorsed resolutions made by residents of nearby Wentworth, Merebank and Bluff to oppose relocation of their communities and location of more dirty industry in the area.

The congress delegates planted an indigenous tree at the site of a 1995 meeting between residents and President Mandela. Congress planning committee member Bryan Ashe said:"This tree will take root here just as the communities have their roots here." The meeting with President Mandela was a turning point in the communities’ struggle to get industries to reduce pollution which has had severe impacts on health in adjacent residential areas.

Recent public meetings in Wentworth, Merebank and the Bluff called on Durban Metro to give residents more say in development plans and mandated local

organisations to represent their interests, as well as rejecting any development requiring relocation of residents. The Metro’s recent Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) identified possibilities such as the creation of a second container terminal and a chemical industry cluster, which would require relocations.

Support for the People of the Narmada Valley, and the

Campaign of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, India

We, the participants in the 1999 Annual Congress of Earthlife Africa, hereby pledge our support and solidarity with the communities of the Narmada Valley in their struggle to safeguard their land and livelihoods. And we salute their courage in resolving to drown in the flood waters of the Narmada River due to the raising of the Sardar Sarovar Dam, rather than to be moved off the lands of their ancestors.

We therefore call upon the Indian Government to stop the illegal submergence in the Narmada Valley, and support the Narmada Bachao Andolan.

 

Resolutions supported by the following branches of Earthlife Africa:

Earthlife Africa: Cape Town

Earthlife Africa: Durban

Earthlife Africa: East London

Earthlife Africa: Johannesburg

Earthlife Africa: Pietermaritzburg

Earthlife Africa: University of Cape Town.

/ends

 

For Further information contact:

Congress:

Bryan Ashe ELA Durban: 031 – 2052178

Cell:0826521533

Nuclear Power:

Richard Worthington ELA Johannesburg

011- 837 0343

Liz McDaid ELA Cape Town 021- 835182

DAMS

Bryan Ashe ELA Durban 031 – 2052178

Cell: 0826521533

Liz McDaid - ELA Cape Town: 021- 6835182

Ulli Eins ELA Namibia: 09264-61-261211

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Content-Type: image/gif; name="ELA.gif" Content-ID: <00c501bf1963$a1702040$5f201ec4@bryan> Attachment converted: Hard Disk:ELA.gif (GIFf/JVWR) (000161E8) :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program, and Editor, World Rivers Review International Rivers Network 1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA Tel. (510) 848 1155 Fax (510) 848 1008 http://www.irn.org :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: From owner-irn-safrica@igc.org Mon Oct 18 13:26:35 1999 Return-Path: Received: from igcb.igc.org (igcb.igc.org [192.82.108.46]) by lox.sandelman.ottawa.on.ca (8.8.7/8.8.8) with ESMTP id NAA23670 for ; Mon, 18 Oct 1999 13:26:34 -0400 (EDT) Received: by igcb.igc.org (8.9.2/8.9.2) id JAA10576; Mon, 18 Oct 1999 09:30:18 -0700 (PDT) Received: from lanshark.lanminds.com (lanshark.lanminds.com [208.25.68.5]) by igcb.igc.org (8.9.2/8.9.2) with ESMTP id JAA10452 for ; Mon, 18 Oct 1999 09:30:03 -0700 (PDT) Received: from [208.25.72.72] (irn7.there.net [208.25.72.72]) by lanshark.lanminds.com (8.8.8/8.8.7) with SMTP id JAA01930 for ; Mon, 18 Oct 1999 09:30:03 -0700 (PDT) Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 09:31:10 -0700 From: lori@irn.org (Lori Pottinger) Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Precedence: bulk Sender: owner-irn-safrica@igc.org Subject: Ghana dam moves forward/LS To: irn-safrica@igc.org X-Sender: lorip@pop.lmi.net Status: OR Contractors Sign Memo For Dam Construction Panafrican News Agency October 15, 1999 Accra, Ghana (PANA) - The Volta River Authority (VRA) and a consortium of contractors on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding for the development of the Bui Hydro Electric Project in the Bring Ahafo Region. Gilbert O. Dokyi, Chief Executive, signed for VRA while David Meehan, Project Director, signed for Brown and Root of the UK, leaders of the consortium. Other members of the consortium are Alstom Hydro Limited of the UK, Grupo Dragados SA of Spain and Hyundai of South Korea. Under the memorandum for the proposed 400-megawatt dam, 450 million dollars will be spent for various studies, according to projections made in 1995. It will cover a 20-month period during which a detailed review of Environmental Impact Assessment and proposed mitigating measures against the effects of damming the Black Volta at Bui will be undertaken. There will also be technical drawings and designs of the Dam and power plant, topographic and geo-technical studies, legal issues, development of a business plan and financing agreements. Within the same period, private sector as well as bilateral and multilateral financing, will be sought for the implementation of the project, which will start in May, 2001. Dokyi said the project would be developed and financed on a "Build-Own-Operate or Build-Own-Operate-and-Transfer" basis while a company to be made up of VRA, members of the consortium and others will be set up to develop and implement it. He said during the period "extensive public consultation would be held with the stakeholders, including district assemblies, NGOs, affected population and the Department of Game and Wildlife to find acceptable solutions to problems that may arise from the implementation of the project. While creating jobs in the northern parts of the country, the project will also provide resources to improve the protection and development of the Bui National Park. He said "it will also have multipurpose use such as eco- tourism, fisheries and irrigation schemes for agriculture in the southern reaches of the Black Volta." Victor Selormey, Deputy Minister of Finance, said the Bui project is part of Government's intention to increase power supply through a variety of resources, including thermal generation. Meehan said the success of the project would depend on the trust between the executing parties, namely VRA and the consortium, and support from financing institutions. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program, and Editor, World Rivers Review International Rivers Network 1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA Tel. (510) 848 1155 Fax (510) 848 1008 http://www.irn.org ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::