环球英语 — 582：The Gilgel Gibe Dam Project
Voice 1
Hello, and welcome to Spotlight. I'm Ruby Jones.
Voice 2
And I'm Adam Navis. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Clouds of dust fly up into the bright afternoon air. Large machines move earth slowly, one behind the other, each carrying heavy loads. A group of men walk around wearing hard hats and bright orange clothes. They are surrounded by huge walls of stone. These walls are hundreds of metres high! The men are in a deep, man-made valley. From the top of the walls, they look like small insects! The men are helping to build the tallest dam of its kind in the world. It is the Gilgel Gibe Dam on the Omo River, Ethiopia!
Voice 2
Hundreds of kilometres south, some men direct a flat wooden boat through the long, wet grass. These tribesmen are hunting fish on Lake Turkana. The Omo River flows into this lake. The men try to catch some of the few kinds of fish left in the water. These tribesmen used to be farmers. But a reduced water level soon changed that. There are too few plants left on the land for their cows to eat. Also, the salt levels in the lake are rising. And when the Gilgel Gibe Dam starts operating, it will reduce the flow of fresh water into the lake even more. The tribesmen are afraid that their traditional way of life will disappear forever.
Voice 1
The main aim of the Gilgel Gibe Dam Project is this. It will provide Ethiopia with a continuous supply of electricity. Builders hope to complete the dam by 2012. Once finished, the dam will produce over one thousand eight hundred [1,800] megawatts of electricity. This is a huge amount - more than enough to meet the needs of Ethiopia. And it will leave extra power for the government to sell to countries nearby, and make a profit!
Voice 2
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia. At present, the city often experiences power cuts. This angers the many people living there. Nazret is an Ethiopian news website. Here, some local people wrote their opinions about the Gilgel Gibe Dam Project. The project is dividing public opinion in Ethiopia. But on this website, most writers praised the new development. One girl wrote:
Voice 3
"It is good to see a project that has a chance of being a success, for a change. And praise goes to the Ethiopian people. They have survived with little or no electricity. As an African capital city, Addis was a joke! Over the past few years, there has been power cut after power cut. I hope that the government will put Ethiopian electricity users first instead of exporting it all."
Voice 1
Having electricity all the time would improve the lives of Ethiopians living in country areas too. Dejene lives in the village of Boleboboula, near Addis Ababa. He is concerned about his children's education. He says:
Voice 4
"It is very important for children to study. We need the light. We are just waiting for the time when light will come to this village. It would change our lives very much! Most of the children go to schools far away from here. When they come back home, it is dark. And they have to study in the dark."
Voice 2
Few people would question Ethiopia's need for electricity. But not everybody is sure that the Gilgel Gibe Dam is the best way to answer that need. They believe that in the long-term, the dam may have a negative effect on the country. They are especially concerned about the Omo River Valley. This area lies to the south of the dam project. And it depends on the river's yearly movement - when it floods and when it goes back. A number of different tribes live by the side of the Omo River. Their way of life has not changed for hundreds of years.
Voice 1
The Mursi people are one of these traditional tribes. Over time they have developed farming methods that work well with the life and movement of the river. Marco Bassi teaches anthropology at Oxford University. He has studied the Mursi people for a number of years. He explains that during the wet season, the Mursi people move to higher ground. There, they wait for the flood to come. The higher the flood, the more fertile the land will be when the flood goes down. When this happens, the dry season begins. Then the Mursi move their cows on to the fertile land. And they plant their crops in the rich, wet soil. Marco Bassi said:
Voice 5
"To a person on the outside, it looks very basic. But when you investigate it, you discover that these people have a very detailed knowledge of the land and how fertile it is... They know how to plant in a way that makes sure they have food - whatever happens throughout the year."
Voice 2
Tribal leaders fear that the dam will prevent the usual flooding that is so necessary to their way of life. The government has promised that the floods will continue as normal after the dam is built. In fact, they say that the dam could improve on nature - by managing when and how big a flood could be. But their words do not persuade the Mursi leaders. And the Mursi do not believe government promises to provide water if the dam causes negative effects in their area.
Voice 1
In a village near Addis Ababa, a child does her schoolwork by the light of an old oil lamp. It is not very bright. And she has trouble reading the small, black words in her book. She cannot wait for the day when she will have a powerful electric light to read by!
Voice 2
In the Omo River Valley, the Mursi people wait for the river to flood. They fear that the flood will be low this time. How will they feed their cows? Will there be enough fertile land to plant their crops? What does the future hold for their ancient way of life? Two different pictures, the same country. But will they both exist in the years to come?
Voice 1
What do you think about the Gilgel Gibe Dam project? Write and tell us. Our email address in Radio @ English . net.
