Wheels
AH ambassador
Look at a map of Tanzania that shows the National Parks and Game Reserves. Tanzania has much more land allocated to wildlife than most countries.
As hunters we are disappointed that a dam is being built in the game reserve.
However, the Selous GR covers 50,000sk. The Stiegler's Gorge Dam will cover 1,200sk. Therefore only 1/40 of the Selous GR will be covered by the reservoir.
As a comparison, the reservoir behind the Stiegler Dam will be apx. 22% the size of Lake Kariba.
Most hydroelectric projects end up destroying man's cultural and historic sites. Probably none more than Aswan High and Three Gorges.
We in the first world have already destroyed our cultural sites with dams, yet we try to salve our conscience by requiring third world countries to not destroy their sites, inadvertently keeping those countries from attaining the same standard of living we have.
The Tanzanians I have talked to think the dam will be beneficial to themselves and their children. The cost of progress can be high, but if we were a subsistence farmer in rural Tanzania and this might provide our children with a light bulb to read by, a hotplate to cook with, a mini-fridge for the village to keep medicines, a charging station for phones, a source of fresh water in the dry season etc. I wonder how we would feel.
According to the UN, Tanzania will be the sixth most populous nation in the world in 2100. This in an area the size of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and just as arid. This won't be the last decision that affects wildlife in Tanzania.
As hunters we are disappointed that a dam is being built in the game reserve.
However, the Selous GR covers 50,000sk. The Stiegler's Gorge Dam will cover 1,200sk. Therefore only 1/40 of the Selous GR will be covered by the reservoir.
As a comparison, the reservoir behind the Stiegler Dam will be apx. 22% the size of Lake Kariba.
Most hydroelectric projects end up destroying man's cultural and historic sites. Probably none more than Aswan High and Three Gorges.
We in the first world have already destroyed our cultural sites with dams, yet we try to salve our conscience by requiring third world countries to not destroy their sites, inadvertently keeping those countries from attaining the same standard of living we have.
The Tanzanians I have talked to think the dam will be beneficial to themselves and their children. The cost of progress can be high, but if we were a subsistence farmer in rural Tanzania and this might provide our children with a light bulb to read by, a hotplate to cook with, a mini-fridge for the village to keep medicines, a charging station for phones, a source of fresh water in the dry season etc. I wonder how we would feel.
According to the UN, Tanzania will be the sixth most populous nation in the world in 2100. This in an area the size of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and just as arid. This won't be the last decision that affects wildlife in Tanzania.
