Planned dam in Uganda causes uproar

CYRIL BELAUD - The surge of water roaring over Murchison falls gives tourists a hair-raising shot of one of Africa's awesome and terrifying natural spectacles.Thousands of tourists visit northwest Uganda every year to marvel as the force of the Nile crashes into a jungle-clad ravine. However, the proposal to build a hydroelectric dam nearby has caused an uproar, and debate over the merits of development at all costs."I don't agree with putting a dam on the Murchison Falls, although I agree with the efforts at looking for development investments in whichever area that might be," said Ugandan tourist Paolo Kyama after gaping at the 43-metre cascade."The reason for my reservation about Murchison is that it is a very unique tourist attraction," Kyama added.The government announced in late November it would allow an international consortium to explore the feasibility of a 360-megawatt hydro plant in Murchison Falls National Park, a protected zone boasting wetlands of international importance.The decision stunned conservationists, who just three months earlier had been celebrating after the government abandoned the contentious project following a sustained protest by tourism operators, green activists and local communities.The new proposal looks at damming Uhuru Falls, a smaller cascade nearby, not Murchison Falls as originally envisioned, the government said.Uhuru Falls is adjacent to Murchison Falls on the Victoria Nile, separated by a narrow rocky strip. It was formed in 1962 when powerful floods cut a second channel just upstream.Feasibility study"We cannot just say no, or yes, without a feasibility study. So, everything must be backed up by science," said tourism minister Godfrey Kiwanda of the policy reversal.The feasibility study will be led by Bonang Power and Energy, a little-known South African company that was enlisted for the first proposal.The amended plan makes little difference to opponents of the project, who say the two falls are interconnected, and damming either risks the health of the ecosystem and its tourist appeal.Elsewhere waterfalls along the Nile have dried up and vanished in recent decades in the wake of major hydropower ventures in Uganda, which sources 80% of its electricity from its rivers."We have lost so much. We can't lose everything. Why don't we spare this particular one? Are we going to dot the entire Nile with dams?" said Benedict Ntale, vice-president of the Uganda Tour Operators Organisation.Tourism is Uganda's biggest earner of foreign exchange, and the industry generates close to 10 percent of GDP.Murchison Falls attracted 75 000 tourists in 2016, making it the second-most visited protected area in the country."When you touch Murchison falls, or you take Murchison falls out of the equation of Uganda tourism, then you kill the whole industry," said Ntale. - Nampa/AFP

Planned dam in Uganda causes uproar

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-09

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Planned dam in Uganda causes uproar

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-09

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