Peter Bosshard

Ikal Angelei grew up on the shores of Lake Turkana, the world’s biggest desert lake. This lifeline of Northwestern Kenya is under threat from the giant Gibe III Dam, currently under construction on the lake’s main water source, the Omo River in Ethiopia.

Dams have impoverished tens of thousands of people and triggered serious human rights violations in Sudan. Now Chinese companies have won contracts to build three more hydropower projects in the country. Of particular concerns are plans to dam the Nile near Kajbar, on the lands of ancient Nubia.

In early September, governments, dam builders, academics and environmental organisations will get together at World Water Week in Stockholm.

In recent years China has become the world’s leading dam builder. China not only builds the biggest number of hydropower projects within its borders, but Chinese companies have also begun to dominate the world market.

The Merowe dam on the Nile in northern Sudan is one of the largest and most destructive hydropower projects in Africa. Commissioned in 2009, the project affects up to 70,000 people, many of whom were displaced from the fertile Nile Valley to arid desert locations.

In December 2003, China Exim Bank approved US$519 million in loans for the Merowe Dam in Sudan.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s bad luck is to be rich in resources. Foreign investors are pouring billions of dollars into large extractive projects such as mines and hydropower dams.

In a major departure from the past, World Bank president James Wolfensohn in 1996 identified corruption as the 'cancer' of development. Wolfensohn promised to take vigorous action to combat bribery, and launched various strategies and action plans.

Sinohydro is China's leading dam builder, and is developing scores of hydropower projects outside China.

1 Financial Times (2007) ‘China pledges $20bn for Africa’, 17 May

2 Goldstein, A., Pinaud, N., Reisen, H. and Chen, X. (2006) ‘The Rise of China and India - What's in it for Africa’ OECD