Environmental and Social Impact Assessment - Gibe III

Gibe III – Environmental and Social Impact Assessment 300 ENV R CS 002 C – A9003099
4.4 Assessment......................................................................................................................73
5 DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT .............................................................75
5.1 Physical Environment.....................................................................................................75
5.1.1 Climate ............................................................................................................................................75
5.1.2 Geology ...........................................................................................................................................78
5.1.3 Seismology.......................................................................................................................................85
5.1.4 Reservoir Slope ...............................................................................................................................86
5.1.5 Hydrogeology..................................................................................................................................87
5.1.6 Soils.................................................................................................................................................91
5.1.7 Hydrology........................................................................................................................................92
5.1.8 Water quality.................................................................................................................................120
5.2 Biological Environment................................................................................................122
5.2.1 Land Use and Land Cover.............................................................................................................122
5.2.2 Natural Vegetation and Forest Resources.....................................................................................124
5.2.3 Aquatic Ecology ............................................................................................................................130
5.2.4 Fishery Resources .........................................................................................................................132
5.2.5 Wildlife Resources.........................................................................................................................135
5.2.6 National Parks and Other Protected Areas...................................................................................136
5.3 Socio-Economical Environment ...................................................................................136
5.3.1 Population .....................................................................................................................................137
5.3.2 Ethnic Compositions......................................................................................................................140
5.3.3 Religion .........................................................................................................................................140
5.3.4 Gender Issues ................................................................................................................................142
5.3.5 Settlement Pattern and Housing Condition...................................................................................143
5.3.6 Agriculture ....................................................................................................................................143
5.3.7 Livestock........................................................................................................................................144
5.3.8 Cultural, Religious, Historical and Archaeological Sites .............................................................146
5.3.9 Public Health.................................................................................................................................149
5.3.10 Water Supply .................................................................................................................................154
5.3.11 Other Social Service and Infrastructures ......................................................................................154
5.3.12 Tourism .........................................................................................................................................154
5.3.13 NGOs working in and around the affected Weredas.....................................................................155
5.4 Baseline Information: Downstream Area .....................................................................155
5.4.1 Geology .........................................................................................................................................155
5.4.2 Hydrogeology................................................................................................................................158
5.4.3 Land Use/Cover units....................................................................................................................158
5.4.4 Hydrology......................................................................................................................................161
5.4.5 Ethnic Groups of the Lower Omo Valley.......................................................................................164
5.4.6 Livestock........................................................................................................................................175
5.4.7 Fishery...........................................................................................................................................177
5.4.8 National Parks and other Protected Areas....................................................................................180
6 PROJECT BENEFITS ...............................................................................................183
6.1 Power generation ..........................................................................................................183
6.2 Avoidance of CO2 emissions ........................................................................................184
6.3 Prospects to Export Power............................................................................................184
6.4 Effective Utilization of the Country’s Water Resource................................................184
6.5 Improvements in Local Access.....................................................................................184
6.6 Job Opportunity ............................................................................................................185
6.7 Gender Issues................................................................................................................185
6.8 Fishery development.....................................................................................................186
6.9 Regulation of the River Flow for Irrigation..................................................................186
6.10 Flood Protection............................................................................................................187
6.11 Tourism Activities ........................................................................................................187
6.12 River Navigation...........................................................................................................187
6.13 Beneficial Impacts on Wildlife resource ......................................................................187
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