Namibia: Namibia: Proposed Dam on Okavango River Has “Fatal Flaw”

The Popa Falls Dam proposed for the Okavango River in Namibia has a “potential fatal flaw,” according to the project’s preliminary environmental assessment. The report, which was released in June, warns that the dam would pose “significant ecological risks” to the Okavango Delta by trapping the river’s vital sediment, which serves a variety of key functions in the complex ecosystem. Twenty-six additional environmental impacts are listed that would require effective mitigation if the project is to move forward.