Ugandan lawmakers Reject Plan for Murchison Falls Hydropower Dam
Activists praise decision to reject energy ministry’s proposal to dam
the world-famous waterfall
Conservationists
in Uganda have hailed a bipartisan decision
to reject the government’s plan to construct a hydro-power dam at the country’s
biggest tourist attraction.
Lawmakers unanimously adopted
a report by the 28 member parliamentary committee on environment on Thursday,
rejecting the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development proposal to build a
360MW at Uhuru Falls on Murchison Falls national park.
“Whereas the benefits of
hydroelectricity are numerous, the country needs to pursue means of sustainably
utilising its natural resources, a feat that requires a delicate balance of
trade-offs,” said the report, presented by Keefa Kiwanuka, the committee’s
cha...