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47 workers killed in Ethiopian dam construction - Meles
Ethiopia's Meles Zenawi extended his condolences to families of workers who died at the Tekeze dam

(JT) During the inaugural ceremony of Tekeze Hydroelectric power Dam, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said forty-five Ethiopians and two Chinese died during the 6-year construction period of the project.

Tekeze dam, one of the tallest hydroelectric dams in Africa, has a potential of generating 300 MW but it started producing 80 MW on Saturday. According to the state-media, the 4 Billion Birr cost of the construction was fully financed by the government.

Tekeze’s construction was originally supposed to cost 2 Billion birr and be finalized in 2007. It was then postponed several times and the government’s Ethiopia Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo) rescheduled it to the end of 2008.

The Tekeze dam located in the Tigray home state of the ruling party of Meles Zenawi began facing massive geological problems in 2008 and the EEPCo decided to use hundreds of millions in additional federal money to continue with the project.

Some experts have criticized the selection of the construction site for allegedly being politically motivated. Critics also say dozens more Ethiopians might have died when the mountain area around the Tekeze dam slid down last year.

Nile politics

In the next ten years, EEPCo reportedly plans to construct 10 more hydro power plants worth multi-Billion dollars and begin exporting power to Kenya, Sudan and Djibouti. The Chinese government has provided loans and has been Ethiopia’s main partner in these power projects. The World Bank is also expected to fund some of the projects however Egypt has managed to block funding for Ethiopian projects that could affect its domination of the Nile River. Ethiopia is the source of around 85 percent of the Nile water flow but Egypt utilizes the majority of the Nile.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Egyptian leaders threatened wars on Ethiopia over the Nile and assisted the Somalia invasion of Ethiopia’s Ogaden by sending military experts and funds to Mogadishu. The dispute caused the previous Ethiopian President Mengistu to intensify stockpiling heavy weaponry. Historically, Ethiopia and Egypt last went to war in 1875 when Emperor Yohannes IV of Ethiopia defeated the Egyptians.

The Ethiopian government is currently building six other hydropower dam projects, including Gilgel Gibe III Dam, and the country has a potential up to an estimated 40, 000 MW.

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Comments 18 comments for this article
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Added: December 27, 2009. 04:21 AM GMT
Ashenafi Dejene
While EPRDF undoubtdly doing a lot of positive advancment in constructing infrustrue in Ethiopia,it backwarded the country to 17 th century of political ideology, which most people doesnot belive in it.Unfortunatly EPRDF allways belive that it is doing right in regard to this/Ethenic based politics/.EPRDF never get a lesson from the past and it will be the cause why it will fail in at least one decade from now.



God Bless Ethiopia
Mamo from Sodo wolaita
Added: November 25, 2009. 07:54 AM GMT
Good for our nation

we have to encourage something doing for our nation plz.WE are making our culture opposing for nothiing plz think twice everyone.
sam
Added: November 17, 2009. 07:55 PM GMT
Yes we need food but what we don’t need is the kind of help we have getting. The kind of band aid fix that leaves us deeper in-dept and less self sufficient. We have been in some state of hunger or famine for as long as I can remember. What we need to truly break this cycle are long term economic strategies and that is exactly what these dams are. These dams will pay for themselves and be generating positive income in a very short period.

How long will you keep begging for hand outs? This is exactly what Charlie wants, for all of Africa to keep begging for food and keep digging deeper in debt.

As Ethiopia takes these steps into self empowerment and self sustainment it aches my heart to see it always held back by little narrow minded people. Whilst the west joins up to strengthen themselves creating the likes of the EU, Ethiopians continue bickering like little children. Grow up and look at the bigger pictures. For how long should Ethiopia remain in the dark ages. Stop being idiotic, your country is trying to move forward and you are holding it back with your backward ideology.

Not only do we need this dam and all the others that are on the way but we need more and more projects like this. It is the only way to free ourselves from the World Bank, IMF and all the other western organization that keep us indebted and non self sufficient.

So what if this particular dam is in Tigray, the others are elsewhere.

I can’t understand how any sane educated Ethiopian can be against these projects. I can see us over coming opposition to our progress from western nations but when we ourselves oppose our own progress...it is a dire situation to say the least.
Tikal
Added: November 17, 2009. 02:52 PM GMT
Hedicated to---.
Jimma Times is a Website dedicated to advance Ethiopian hegemonism in Eastern Africa. It is inevitable, Ethiopia will perish. Jimma times will sadly follow suit.
Anonymous
Added: November 16, 2009. 11:20 PM GMT
we don't need TVs
OUR PEOPLE NEED FOOD!
WHY WASTE $4,000,000,000 ON A STUPID HYDRO DAM THAT ONLY HELPS BRING ELECTRICITY TO MEKELLE WHEN WE HAVE 6,000,000 STARVING PEOPLE IN ETHIOPIA????
PEOPLE ARE DYING IN OROMIA, IN OGADEN

WHY?????????

VERY SAD!! WHERE ARE OUR PRIORITIES? WE COULD HAVE USED THE MONEY FOR FARMING, FOR AGRI TECHNOLOGY AND PRODUCE FOOD INSTEAD OF BEGGING FOR MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FROM DONORS

WHAT A SHAME!!

DOWN WITH TPLF!!!
Chaltu
Added: November 16, 2009. 08:27 PM GMT
keep going
keep building more and more dams! Long live Ethiopia!
Anonymous
Added: November 16, 2009. 06:21 PM GMT
Ethiopian
If you see every thing in terms of race,You are racist.



Tekeze is in Tigray so what?
Anonymous
Added: November 16, 2009. 05:39 PM GMT
be positive
whereever you go there are alwayes ignorant people, and from the content of some of the comments we have them here too. If you really love your country, you shouldn't complain for this kind of development projecte. I don't care where they build it us long us it serve the country. I love ormia, and proud Ethiopian.
Anonymous
Added: November 16, 2009. 12:21 PM GMT
No Dam what so ever but just to collect some money which can be lone or aid, Zenawi cares only Tigray he doesn't care the rest of Ethiopia, the real Ethiopian will rise up and came together to stop these root less regime.
freedom
Added: November 16, 2009. 09:45 AM GMT
on't say it...
Why is this article one sided... You mention that Tekeze dam is in Tigrai, why not mention that the 3 others that the "TPLF" is constructing is in Oromia... Because it does not suit your vision of factious persecution... Come on be real you know the country need electricity if we can sell electricity we can make some good money...
Anonymous
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