Power plans face wall of objections: Namibia's plans to generate electricity using the waters of the Okavango river have led to a massive row with environmentalists and tour operators in Botswana. (Namibia).
Botswana and Angola, which share the waters of the Okavango river, have given Namibia the go-ahead to carry out pre-feasibility studies on the hydroelectric potential at Popa Falls in Namibia's eastern Caprivi. The plan has come under sustained attack from environmentalists and the tourist industry in Botswana.The pre-feasibility study has been signed between Namibia's power utility, NamPower, Bison Namibia, Lund Consulting Engineers and the Fichter Company from Germany.
Namibia says eastern Caprivi, 1,200 km from the capital, Windhoek, and the least developed area in the country, is experiencing an adverse supply of electricity which is hampering development.
"Since 1990 the Caprivi region has been supplied from Zambia via a 66KV line from Livingstone (southern Zambia)," said John Langford, NamPower's programme manager. "The electricity demand in the region has recently outstripped supply and the last alternative would be to develop a hydro power scheme at Popa Falls."
Langford said the project - the Divundu Hydro Power Project would be a run-of-the-river type of hydro power facility and would require construction of a diversion system or weir, a head-race waterway, a power station, a return flow path, switchyard and transmission lines.
He said the station would generate between 20MW and 30MW of electricity, and that the flow of the Okavango River will not be disturbed.
Others are not convinced. Environmentalists point out that a similar scheme, mooted 34 years ago, had to be scrapped because of the damage to the river and the environment it could have inflicted. In 1969, the Namibian government had to abandon the project after it was declared not feasible.
The Okavango River, which flows from Angola, enters Namibia in the proximity of Popa falls and continues for 50kms across Namibian territory before entering Botswana. Namibia does not contribute much water to the river because of its perennial droughts. It is in Botswana that the effects of a dam would be felt.
Environmentalists say it could spell the end of aquatic life in the Okavango delta's panhandle region between Botswana's north-western resort towns of Maun and Shakawe.
The International River Network (IRN), a wetland conservation organisation, believes that "the most alarming threat" is to the 100,000 people living in the Okavango delta region and the spectacular wetlands, pools and dry land forests which supports a P350m tourist industry.
The Okavango is scheduled to become a World Heritage Site and is currently the largest RAMSAR (Convention on Wetlands) site in the world, according to the Botswana chapter of Conservation International, an environmental heritage trust with headquarters in Washington.
Scientists fear huge erosion will take place as a result of the hydroelectric scheme and that the delta will not recover for between 130 and 200 years if the river is tampered with.
It will mean that little sediment, vital to the survival of life in the area and to stop the Kalahari Desert from encroaching further, will be washed down through the panhandle area, resulting in massive erosion downstream.
"It is difficult to predict what the knock-on effects will be in the delta itself but whatever they are, it is clear they will last for a long time' said Professor Spike McCarthy, a hydrologist at South Africa's University of Wit-watersrand.
Sediment is transported by the river and is vital to the functioning of the delta downstream, playing a key role in maintaining the varied and productive nature of this inland oasis, the world's largest.
Professor McCarthy said the "Okavango is like as reflection in a pond - beautiful to behold, Grasp it and it disappears."
STIFF OPPOSITION TO PLANS
IRN's Ryan Hoover said NamPower will be resisted in its efforts and will face stiff opposition from environmentalists and people who live in the delta.
"The location of the proposed dam at Popa Falls could not be much worse. The river drops a mere 3.5 metres at Popa Falls but it represents a significant tourist destination. Popa falls is the centre piece of the Caprivi Game Park and provides habitats to several herds of hippo, many elephant and other wildlife," he said.
But Nampower argues that in addition to supplying the Caprivi region, it also wants to supply the Okavango and Caprivi regions, south-eastern Angola, north-west Botswana and parts of Zambia.
"The cost of electricity will be made affordable in the long run and the region will enjoy economic growth' said David Mbidi, NamPower's marketing manager. "During the construction phase of the project over 500 people will be employed and this is an opportunity for Namibians and foreigners to invest in a renewable energy project."
However, over the border in Botswana, worries over the project are growing. Residents in villages in the Okavango delta blame the Botswana government for failing to consult them before giving Namibia the go-ahead.
"This river provides water, fish, berries, fruits, employment and business opportunities. This is our livelihood," said Moses Kaega, a villager. "Hydroelectricity cannot be generated from such an important source of natural resources.
The issue is so sensitive that the Botswana government says it will only comment after its western neighbour has published findings of its pre-feasibility assessment. It also says that is when it will undertake its own assessment.
A group of scientists sponsored by Conservation International (Botswana) who visited the site of the project in February refused to comment on the whole venture, also saying they would wait for the pre-feasibility report.
The project has sent shock waves through the town of Maun in Botswana's north. Over 50,000 tourists visit the delta every year and Maun has been identified as the focus point in the Botswana government's effort to diversify the economy from diamonds to tourism.
Businessmen, safari operators and residents already anticipate a bleak future in what they fear will be a ghost town
In February, at a meeting organised by EcoServ Botswana, one of the companies also involved in the pre-feasibility studies, locals presented their concerns to NamPower representatives. They urged the Namibian government to consider other options such as wind and solar power.
NamPower's Langford told the meeting that Namibia does not have enough power generating capacity and that several options have been explored, all of which have proved too costly.
He said Namibia imports energy from South Africa only because the exporter has over capacity of electricity at the moment.
"We discovered gas off the coast of Namibia that would have generated 800MW but that proved costly because it is 170km offshore and at a dept of 170 metres," he said.
Other options, like the Luderitz Wind Park, which was likely to generate 20MW, failed to gain acceptance because of costs. The country had also considered the Orange River, on its southern border for an HEP project, said Mr Langford, but that river is currently disputed as it is on South African territory.
This failed to quell the fears of locals. "The method Namibia intends to use to generate electricity has not been used anywhere else in the world. What if the method fails?" asked Thomas Majole, a safari operator. He wanted to know if NamPower would compensate those affected if things went wrong. "The potential costs of the impact on the delta would make the Popa Falls project non-viable compared to other options," he said.
Namibia has injected $4.5m into the pre-feasibility study and this say Maun residents, indicates the country's willingness to make the project succeed regardless of the implications.
But this is not the first time Namibia has attempted to use the resources from the Okavango River. Plans in 1996 to build a 250km pipeline from the river to supply the country's interior had to be aborted after widespread criticism.
"The whole project is focused on Namibia and not on the impact downstream in Botswana," said Odirile Merafhe, director of the Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana.
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| Author: | Mukumbira, Rodrick |
|---|---|
| Publication: | African Business |
| Geographic Code: | 6NAMI |
| Date: | Apr 1, 2003 |
| Words: | 1296 |
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