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Tanzania: UK Activists Pile Pressure Against Soda Ash Project
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The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
16 May 2008
Posted to the web 16 May 2008
Patty Magubira
Mwanza
A UK-based environment group has urged Tata Chemicals Limited of India and its Tanzanian partner, National Development Corporation (NDC), not to disturb Lake Natron area environment.
It said shifting the project 32 kilometre away from the lake would not mitigate the negative impact the project is likely to pose to lesser flamingos (phoeniconaias minor) and the local community.
"Birdlife International and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds are of the view that Tata and NDC should abandon the project altogether," the activists said in a statement posted on the Birdlife International website.
The project's impact is not limited to operations of the plant alone, but the entire process of brine extraction, disposition of waste and processing, they explained.
They said intricate network of pipes and roads on the surface of the lake would affect the birds and the local communities just as it was the case with Lake Magadi in Kenya.
The activists join forces with the Lake Natron Consultative Group comprising 32 non-governmental organisations from across the eastern and the Horn of Africa, and US in opposing the project.
The NGOs argued in Nairobi, Kenya, a fortnight ago that the project would pose serious threat to the survival of the lesser flamingos and to the livelihood of pastoralist communities surrounding the lake.
Chief executive officer of Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania Lota Melamari recently presented a strong case for the complete abandonment of the project.
Lake Natron's vast flocks of shimmering pink flamingos were one of the world's greatest attraction that should not be destroyed, Mr Melamari stressed.
Tourism services manager of the Tanzania Tourist Board, Ms Serena Shao, cautioned during a meeting in Dar es Salaam that Tanzania may not achieve its tourism targets if the key attractions are destroyed.
"The soda ash proposal must be critically analysed given Tanzania currently earns over one billion US dollars from tourism.
"The dream to attract one million tourists by 2010 may not be achieved if we damage key attractions at Lake Natron," she said.
The minister of State in the Vice-President's Office (Environment), Dr Batilda Burian, has also warned investors in Dar es Salaam early this month that unless fresh environment and social impact assessment report satisfied environment and social concerns, no approval would be granted.
"The new study must be preceded by the development of an integrated management plan for Lake Natron ramsar site, which would spell out future conservation and development agenda for the area," Dr Buriani said.
"We laud the minister's quick response and commend her for being responsive to stakeholders on this matter," the activists said in their statement .
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There is no way a project of such magnitude could operate without permanently scarring the landscape and damage local people's livelihoods and biodiversity, especially the highly sensitive Lesser Flamingos, Dr Hazell Shokellu Thompson, the BirdLife International's regional director for Africa is quoted as saying on the website.
I write to comment on the pressure Against Soda asha project at lake Natron-Tanzania.
I think the UK activists they just don't stay in Uk and speak against the project of Soda ash at lake Natron.Tanzania is a one of the poorest countries in the world according to the UN standards,however this country has alot of natural resources which have not yet been well explored to safe the people of this country from poverty. One of the untaped resource is the Soda Ash at lake Natron of which the country can use the resource to improve the living stardand of... [Read Full Text]
We must totally reject this disastrous project from ever being implemented.Africa is strewn with such ill conceived 'white elephant' projects whose impact on the people and the environment will perpetuate their poverty. I do not believe that Africa needs to adopt failed models of western 'industrialisation' from the 19th century as a solution to our development in the 21st century!! The value of Lake Natron to Tz development lies in its exploitation as a nature reserve more than the industrial extraction of its soda ash. What is the benefit of creating 500 min pay jobs when the overall impact... [Read Full Text]
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