Sudan inaugurates massive Nile dam while committing genocide

Some people just dont care. [About others I mean.]

That pic above says it all , there will be certain death due to this, when will people wake up and see what they are doing. grrrrrrrr

China Accused Of Supporting Sudan Rights Abuse

A leading opponent of a Chinese-financed dam in Sudan accused Beijing on Friday of fueling widespread human rights abuses, as Khartoum moved to relocate 70,000 villagers to make way for the project.

Beijing was directly involved in Khartoum's plundering of land and water resources at the Merowe Dam project on the Nile river in northern Sudan, Ali Askouri told journalists.

"This project violates the basic right of our community," said Askouri, a representative of communities affected by the Merowe Dam project.

"The Chinese only deal with officials, they don't sit down with local communities ... this is a very dangerous approach and is (leading to the) open destruction of lands and the plundering of African society."

In April last year, unidentified militiamen attacked a community meeting in the town of Amri that was discussing the dam, killing three opponents of the project and injuring up to 40, said Askouri, who heads the association Hamdab Dam Affected People.

"This is a way of terrorising people to get out of the area," he said.

"We are witnessing continued human rights violations, from detentions to unlawful arrests, abuse and persecution ... six community leaders are currently detained for unclear reasons."

One of the main complaints of dam opponents is that villagers are being relocated to desert areas and not being allowed to rebuild their homes near water, he said.

The 1.8-billion-dollar Merowe Dam on the upper reaches of the Nile river is the largest hydropower project currently under construction in Africa and will have 1,250 megawatts of installed capacity when completed at the end of 2008.

China's Export-Import Bank was financing the dam to the tune of 540 million dollars, while French engineering firm Alstom had a 300-million-dollar contract for generators and German firm Lahmeyer International was providing technical expertise, Askouri said.

Askouri fingered all three enterprises as complicit in the ongoing abuse.

He also said about 5,000 Chinese workers were building the dam and were being kept separate from local communities by a 600-strong Sudanese security force that some people believe were behind last year's shootings.

China has denied that it ignores the plight of locals in undertaking major projects in Africa, but pledged enhanced cooperation on environmental aspects of its projects on the continent.

"China attaches great importance to the local people's livelihood, takes the possible environmental effects seriously and applies strict environment evaluations and standards," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told journalists on Thursday when asked about the Merowe Dam project.

"The completion of this project will promote the development of the social and economic development of Sudan and improve the livelihood of the local people."

But an independent report entitled "China's role in financing Africa's infrastructure," by the US-based International Rivers Network, backed up the accusations put forward by Askouri and villagers being displaced by the dam.

"There has been no official environmental impact assessment of the Merowe Dam and this was a reason that some other governments like Canada turned down an offer to finance it," said Peter Bosshard, policy director of the group and author of the report.

"China's Exim Bank does not have adequate anti-corruption mechanisms and does not meet international standards on assessing the environmental impact of the project," he said.

Besides Sudan, China was involved in dam projects in Mozambique, Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia, he said.

Serious flaws found in the Merowe Dam EIA (environmental impact assessment.)

But the propaganda was laid on thick at the inaguration of it a couple days ago when Al Beshir did his little dance of the dam.

Justice must be done.

Excerpt:

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.

snip

"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.

Two words:

SOLAR POWER.

Damn! (pun intended) Will the insanity ever stop?