what is in their best interests, I want to stress the trade-offs that should be recognised by the government in choosing to build the dam. That if the Stiegler’s Gorge Dam is built Tanzania could have large amounts of electricity, but the dam will also have undeniable, significant negative impacts on some citizens and on globally outstanding environments. You can’t “have your cake and eat it”.
The key impacts of this dam aren’t in where or how much its’ reservoir will cover. The main effects are from the dam blocking the flow of water and sediment.
The untamed Rufiji River has three key functions.
The first is in the core area of the Selous World Heritage Site, which is just below the proposed dam. This consists of marshland, lakes and shifting riverbeds, which are maintained by water and fertile soil from the river’s annual flood.
In the land below the reserve, a large floodplain provides rich agricultural opportunities that are utilised by the Warufiji people. Their farming is also underpinned by the fertile sediments and water from the Rufiji River’s annual flood, which also sustains fishing lakes.
At the delta, where the Rufiji River meets the sea, the annual flood again plays a key role. Its release of fertile soil physically creates a delta and sustains its chemical balance. This delta is also environmentally rich, home to the largest mangrove stand in East Africa and is meant to be protected by a global treaty called Ramsar. The delta also hosts Tanzania’s economically-richest fishery. Again the Rufiji River’s annual flood is key: It produces a boom in marine life, most importantly in prawns, and brings migratory Whale Sharks.