The dams of Africa

Press, 15 September 1976, Page 19

The dams of Africa

One of the most dramatic ways the face of the world is being altered today is by the building of dams. Stopping rivers and creating lakes has caused irreversible changes to thousands of acres of land and nowhere is this more true today than in Africa, where there are four of the five largest man-made lakes in the world. A “Horizon”. film investigates three of them — Kariba. Nasser and Volta. It will be shown by TV2 on Sunday evening. The team’s detailed study shows conclusively that scientific research does not always take into account environmental considerations and also shows how the drastic mismanagement of the enviroment in certain . cases has almost outweighed any real economic advantage to the nations involved. The approach by the “Horizon” team is sys-

tematic and its analytic study of each example raises many pertinent points on the development of such schemes in the future and also how overseas investment in the financing of such projects is usually at the expense of the developing nation. Although the programme does not relate specifically to New Zealand. it should strike sympathetic chords with those involved with our own hydro schemes and the Manapouri controversy. For most viewers the subject matter will at first glance seem rather ordinary documentary material but the “Horizon” team is expert in this field and the end result is a calm, logical. simplified but thorough investigation of the human, ecological and economic problems involved in such massive projects as hydro-electric-dams.