By Shadrack Kavilu for Gáldu

The construction of the hydroelectric dam has sparked a worldwide protest from both human rights and environmental conservationist who have raised concerns over the environmental impact likely to affect indigenous communities who entirely depend on the Omo River.

The move by the government to allow an independent environmental study is a culmination of years of protest and lobbying by numerous groups opposing the construction of the dam on the basis that it would adversely devastate the livelihoods of thousands of communities living in the shores  of lake Turkana and the Omo river.

Environmental conservationist have argued that the hydroelectric project on the Omo River threatens the livelihoods of 500,000 indigenous people in Southern Ethiopia and Northern Kenya.

The construction of the dam, they argue that it would end the river´s natural flood cycle, destroy harvests and grazing lands along the river banks and fisheries in Lake Turkana, the world´s largest desert lake.

The dam will devastate the unique culture and ecosystems of the Lower Omo Valley and Lake Turkana, both recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Recently, a group of six communities living in the shores of Lake Turkana sued the government in a petition meant to block power utility firm- Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) from purchasing 50 Megawatts of electricity generated from the dam.

The suit came barely a week after another group of activist mounted pressure on the Italian government to withdraw funding the mega hydro-power project.

But despite years of protest, the Kenyan and Ethiopian governments have expressed their desire to proceed with an electricity deal ignoring various environmental concerns raised by activists.

Kenya´s energy permanent Secretary, Patric Nyoike says the government´s move to carry out a new independent environmental study would help resolve various concerns raised by activists.

“We want to carry out an independent study to verify the outcomes of various environmental assessment studies conducted before,” said the Permanent Secretary.

He further added that the government was in the process of identifying an international consultant to carry out the study and release the report by end of the year.

To ensure all issues raised by various communities are addressed, Nyoike said another independent environmental study would be carried out by the European Investment Bank (EIB).

Though previous assessment studies by the Ethiopian government and the African Development Bank (AfDB) indicated that the project would be beneficial to indigenous communities, several institutions have since disputed the findings and wants new studies carried out.

As a result of the controversy surrounding the construction of the dam, several multi national financial institutions have pulled out of the project, while others have threatened to withdraw funding the project until further environmental assessment studies are conducted.

The permanent Secretary however noted that though the government would carry out the study, new findings would not stop the Ethiopian government from going on with the project.

He said that Ethiopia had maintained that irrespective of the findings it would not stop construction of the hydroelectric dam.

The Ethiopian government is already negotiating for funding with the European Investment Bank (EIB), African Development Bank (AfDB), the World Bank and the Italian government.

Ethiopia´s multi-billion project is part of a long term strategy aimed at resolving power shortages in the country and it´s neigbours such as Kenya where demand continues to outstrip supply.

Kenya hopes to import electricity from Ethiopia to fill a deficit in its power supply. The country has an installed power capacity of 1,480 megawatts, which is still far much below its demand.

Over the years, the country has experienced frequent power shortages forcing business people to invest in diesel powered generators which increase the cost of production.

According to a World Bank study, power shortages in the country have increased the cost of doing business in the country thus threatening foreign investment.

Upon completion the Ethiopian government estimates that it would be able to export 900 Megawatts of electricity to its neighboring countries such as Kenya and Sudan.