President John Magufuli hands over a trophy
to the Best Exhibitor in Foods and Beverages Category, Aminza Coffee
Product of Tanzania Director, Amir Hamza, during the opening of the 41st
Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF) in the city, yesterday.
Looking on (third right) is the Minister for Industry, Trade and
Investment Charles Mwijage, Tanzania Trade Development Authority
(TanTrade) Board Chairman, Eng Christopher Chiza (second right) and
TanTrade Acting Director General Edwin Rutegaruka. (Photo by Staff
Photographer)
PRESIDENT John Magufuli yesterday closed the debate on Stiegler’s Gorge power project, insisting that the construction of the mega power dam is there to stay.
Officiating at the opening of the 41st
Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF), Dr Magufuli said the
project critics should stay informed that Tanzania will never reverse
its decision to ensure the longstanding dream becomes a reality.
“Come rain come sun Stiegler’s Gorge
hydroelectric dam must be constructed,” President Magufuli said, as
members of the business community, government representatives and the
general public listened attentively.
Dr Magufuli pointed out that he had
already directed the responsible ministry to take charge of the matter
and search for the qualified contractor to ensure the project kicks off
since the feasibility study had already been conducted.
Immediately after President Magufuli
announced his resolve to construct the dam for power generation on
Selous Game Reserve, conservationists ganged up to criticise the project
on grounds that it will bring about irreparable damage to the Reserve’s
ecology.
According to conservationists, some
project’s negative consequences include inundation of significant
wildlife habitat, including that of the critically endangered black
rhinoceros, as well as a heightened risk of poaching and other illegal
activities due to increased human activities.
They also claim that the dam would
likely have significant negative impacts on downstream land uses,
commercial fishing and agricultural industries and the livelihoods of
local communities.
In his speech yesterday, the Head of
State made it clear that despite opposition from some people, he will
not reverse his decision. “We are not going to listen to people who
speak about impacts on environment without facts on the grounds.
We money for that,” he insisted. He
added: “The project idea was conceived after independence under the
leadership of the late Father of the Nation, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and
all those years it remained on paper.”
Upon becoming operational, Stiegler’s
Gorge power project will catapult the country’s power generation
capacity from the current 1,450 megawatts to between 4,000 and 5,000
megawatts.
He insisted the the dam will have other
spill-over advantages, including fishing, providing water for irrigation
and drinking water for wild animals.
The President said claims of
irreversible damage to the Reserve were groundless since the project
will only cover 1,350 square kilometres, which is equivalent to only
three per cent of the total 45,000 square kilometres covered by Selous
game reserve.
He wondered that Tanzania had been
blessed with a lot of sources for power generation but many of them were
still unutilised, mentioning few of them, including coal, uranium and
wind.
On Tuesday, Dr Magufuli held talks with
an Ethiopian team of experts in electric engineering and hydroelectric
dam construction in Dar es Salaam, in which he made it clear that no
stone will be left unturned until the project was implemented.
He told the Ethiopian Minister for
Water, Irrigation and Electricity Seleshi Bekele who led delegation that
the project will be of great importance, especially in supporting the
country’s industrialisation drive.
The team from Ethiopia arrived in the
country to share experience with its Tanzanian counterpart charged with
the responsibility of executing the super project. Dr Bekele said
Ethiopia was now generating 4,300 megawatts of electricity from hydro
sources, hinting that Addis Ababa envisages 17,000 megawatts by 2020.
He affirmed his country’s keenness to
cooperate with Tanzania in the endeavour. Minister of State in the
VicePresident’s Office - Union and Environment – Mr January Makamba, on
Tuesday responded to conservationists’ criticism, saying all
environmental concerns will be taken care of.
“There have been several studies on this
mega project carried out in the 1970s and all of them suggested
mitigation measures. We hope nothing will go wrong,” Mr Makamba told the
‘Sunday News.’must implement this project with our own funds and we
have
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