Gibe 3 Dam, Ethiopia / key documents

On April 22, 2009, International Rivers and allies submitted the following request for investigation to the Compliance Review Mechanism Unit of the African Development Bank.

The Omo River is a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of indigenous people in southwest Ethiopia and northern Kenya. The Gibe III Hydropower Dam, already under construction, will dramatically alter the Omo River's flood cycle, affecting ecosystems and livelihoods all the way down to the world's largest desert lake, Kenya’s Lake Turkana.

The following request for an investigation into problems at Gibe 3 Dam was filed by Friends of Lake Turkana; on March 26, the African Development Bank's Compliance Review and Mediation Unit registered the request.

“The rise and fall of the Omo waters is the heartbeat of the Lower Omo Valley. More than any other single factor, the river determines everyday economic practice throughout the region.”