Kenya Plans Talks With Ethiopia Over Hydropower Dam, Daily Says

Construction begins on the huge Gibe III hdyro-electric dam at the Omo river site in southern Ethiopia. Photograph: Xan Rice

Kenya’s government plans to hold talks with Ethiopia about the impact the construction of the Gibe III hydropower dam in southern Ethiopia may have on Lake Turkana, Business Daily reported.
Kenya wants assurances that water collected by the dam, which is being built on the Omo River, will be released and not used to irrigate land, the Nairobi-based newspaper said, citing Culture Secretary Hassan Wario.

Environmental activists have said the dam may reduce the lake’s water level by as much as 33 feet (10 meters), depleting fish stocks and compromising its status as a world heritage site, the newspaper said.
Lake Turkana is the world’s largest desert lake and the fourth-biggest fresh-water body in Africa. The lake provides a livelihood for more than 20,000 people and supports more than 48 fish species, the newspaper said.
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