Ethiopia's Gibe III dam: a balanced assessment

The Gilgel Gibe III hydroelectric dam under construction in Ethiopia is no small piece of infrastructure. It holds the potential to fundamentally alter flow patterns in the Omo River watershed and will cost about $2 billion to build. It will indeed have impacts -- both positive and negative -- on the environment and people living in the watershed.

By Seleshi Bekele and Jonathan Lautze

June 4, 2009