ENERGY EXPERT WARNS PLANS BY CHINESE GOVT TO CHANNEL WATER FROM LUAPULA RIVER TO KAFUE RIVER TO DEAL WITH ENERGY CRISIS MAY HAVE NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
By Lukundo Nankamba
An Energy Expert has warned that plans by the Chinese government to channel water from the Luapula River to Kafue River to deal with the current energy crisis that Zambia is faced with may cause environmental disruption, leading to a long-term crisis.
The Chinese government through its Ambassador to Zambia Han Jing recently disclosed that plans are underway for infrastructure to channel water from the Luapula River to the Kafue River, in order to make use of the existing hydroelectricity facilities.
But in an interview with Phoenix News, Mr. Leonard Sepe explains that while this could alleviate the energy deficit the country has been experiencing in the long term, this plan has more environmentally negative effects.
Mr Sepe is recommending that government conducts a cost and environmental analysis between the cost of channeling water from Luapula to Kafue River and the cost of building infrastructure for the purpose of electricity generation.
He says government must also take interest in the environmental concerns that could arise from the planned project, as such an undertaking can cause significant risk in the ecosystem and wildlife.
PHOENIX NEWS
This expert is PF. They don’t want to see solution to the energy sector.
We shall create a deficiency from were the water will be diverted, besides, the two rivers carry different types of ecosystems which may not combine without repercussions, the life forms in the Luapula river differs with those in the Kafue hence we will be pitting one life form against the other creating conflicts. We should just look at putting up a power station on the Luapula itself to avoid conflicting ecosystems whose repercussions we may not fully understand now