Environmental and Social Impact Assessment - Gibe III

Gibe III – Environmental and Social Impact Assessment 300 ENV R CS 002 C - A9003099
respiratory tract infection, diarrhoea, etc. Most of these ten-top diseases are not only causes of illness and
suffering of the people but also cause hospital admission and hospital deaths.
The widespread incidence of human diseases, notably of malaria and water-borne pathogens, is prevalent
together with the lack of health facilities and medicines. The human health factor has a very significant
impact on the ability of members of the rural community to farm their land because of their reduced physical
vigour. This effect is further compounded by an often inadequate level of nutrition, which may occur even in
good years, between the planting of main crops and the harvest.
5.3.9.2 Water-related and water Borne Diseases
In and around the project area, both water related and water based diseases are the most significant public
health problems. The environmental factors that may contribute to the changing health situation for vector
borne diseases are altitude, climate, migration and seasonal variation. The project area is endemic to the
following vector borne diseases: malaria, trypanosomiasis, schistosomiasis and onchocerciasis.
Malaria: The project areas are highly endemic for malaria with continuous transmission. Malaria is by far the
most important of the diseases under consideration (see Table 5.39) and it is due to the number of people
annually infected (and whose quality of life and working capacity are reduced) and the death rate from it. As
shown in Table 5.39, a total of 32.753 cases were recorded in 2004/5 and the entire population in these
weredas is at risk of malaria. Infants, children under 5 years of age and pregnant women are the most at risk
group from malaria infection.
The presence of several rivers (tributaries to Omo River) provides ideal breeding habitats for mosquitoes.
However, there is a considerable seasonal variation (depending on the climatic condition) in Malaria
transmission and the highest pick of malaria case are reported towards the end and after the rainy season.
Schistosomiasis: Schistosomiasis, often known as bilharziasis, is a parasitic disease and prevalent in
Ethiopia. Results of several studies show that the Omo-Gibe River basin is conducive for the propagation of
the schistosomiasis parasite. Therefore, the communities around the Omo-Gibe River and its tributaries are
under a constant threat as they perform daily activities in aquatic environment such as swimming, fishing,
farming, washing and bathing.
Two genera of fresh water snails serve as intermediate hosts in Ethiopia: Biomphalaria snails for
schisstosoma mansoni intestinal and bulinus snails for schistosoma haematobium (urinary). Biomphaloria
snails like stable slow flowing water and are dominant in long-established water bodies. Bulinus snails prefer
unstable, semi-stagnant water and colonise newly inundated water bodies.
The disease can spread with the construction of Gibe III dam and creation of reservoir. The prevalence of
schistosomiasis is a reasonable indication of the lack of personal hygiene, proper disposal of faecal materials
and lack of safe water supply.
Onchocerciasis: The disease is widespread in Ethiopia, over an area that stretches from the Blue-Nile in the
north to the Omo Valley in the south and west toward the Sudan Boarder. Simulidium damnosum and
simulidium woodi Ethiopians have been identified as the vectors of the disease. The vectors mainly inhabit
fast flowing streams and rivers with envisaged development of Gibe III scheme involving water
impoundment and possible in-migration of infected and uninfected individuals from other places, the project
area has the potential for spread of the disease.
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