admin | June 20, 2016
A government decision to halt a large energy project in northern Tanzania has spared 1,500 villagers from eviction.
A company called Agro EcoEnergy had planned to build a $500-million bioelectricity plant in Saadani National Park to produce power for 100,000 rural households. The plant would have produced ethanol from locally-grown sugar.
Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa says the project was stopped to safeguard the Wami River. The project would require huge amounts of water from the river, affecting the well-being of elephants, hippos, and giraffes in the sanctuary.
It would also have displaced villagers. Tanzanian law states that village land cannot be sold to outsiders, but many people are unable to obtain deeds to demonstrate their property rights.
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Photo credit: Noor Khamis/Reuters