PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLEThis article was downloaded by: [University of Texas Austin]On: 30 January 2010Access details: Access Details: [subscription number 918548777]Publisher RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UKInternational Journal of Water Resources DevelopmentPublication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t713426247Eco-Politics of Dams on the Gambia RiverAndre Degeorges a; B. K. Reilly aa Department of Nature Conservation, Tshwane University of Technology, Tshwane Pretoria, SouthAfricaTo cite this Article Degeorges, Andre and Reilly, B. K.(2007) 'Eco-Politics of Dams on the Gambia River', InternationalJournal of Water Resources Development, 23: 4, 641 — 657To link to this Article: DOI: 10.1080/07900620701488588URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07900620701488588Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.informaworld.com/terms-and-conditions-of-access.pdfThis article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial orsystematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply ordistribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden.The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contentswill be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug dosesshould be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss,actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directlyor indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material.Eco-Politics of Dams on the Gambia RiverANDRE DEGEORGES & B. K. REILLYDepartment of Nature Conservation, Tshwane University of Technology, Tshwane Pretoria, South AfricaABSTRACT In the 1980s, USAID (US Agency for International Development) funded anenvironmental assessment of dams on the Gambia River, which determined that construction of theBalingho anti-salinity barrage would result in adverse unmitigative environmental and socialconsequences. Attempts by host country politicians, USAID and UNDP (United NationsDevelopment Programme) to discredit this process made it necessary to take the matter to theNatural Resource Defense Council. A case study of the events surrounding these dams and theirpotential construction illustrates the ‘big dam’ paradigm and its potential harm to people, theirlivelihoods and the environment in Sub-Saharan Africa.IntroductionBeginning in the early 1980s, the next river to be ‘developed’ after the Senegal was theGambia River. German and English consulting firms located the Balingho anti-salinitybarrage/bridge 128–134 km upstream from the river mouth, and the Kekreti Dam, about790 km upstream from the mouth (Figure 1). As on the Senegal River, American teamsundertook the environmental assessment, a large number originating from academicinstitutions (University of Michigan and Michigan State University) with integrity beingtheir foremost objective. The Gambia River Basin Organization (Organisation Pour laMise En Valeur Du Fleuve Gambie), better known as the OMVG, was the coordinatingbody for the environmental study. Member states included Gambia, Senegal, GuineaConakry and Guinea Bissau (DeGeorges, 2006).The Gambia River Basin is a semi-arid region of West Africa located between latitudes118 200and 148 450and longitudes 118 150and 168 300West. The Fouta Djallon Mountainsin the south (Guinean eco-climatic zone), the Senegal River Basin in the East, the AtlanticOcean in the West and the arid Ferlo region of Senegal in the north (Sudano-Sahelianeco-climatic zone) delimit the basin. The Basin covers 77 100 km2, about 25% the size ofthe neighbouring Senegal River Basin of 290 000 km2. It lies in the three countries ofGuinea, Senegal and The Gambia that constitute respectively 15%, 71% and 14% of thebasin. The Gambia River extends a total of 1180 km in length. Based upon the hydrologyof the basin, it is broken into the (DeGeorges, 2006):. Estuarine Basin from the mouth in the Gambia to Gouloumbou, Senegal, the endof tidal influence, a stretch of 530 km in length covering an area of 36 000 km2.0790-0627 Print/1360-0648 Online/07/040641-17 q 2007 Taylor & FrancisDOI: 10.1080/07900620701488588Correspondence Address: Andre DeGeorges, Department of Nature Conservation, Tshwane University ofTechnology, P/Bag X680, Tshwane (Pretoria), South Africa. Email: [email protected] Resources Development,Vol. 23, No. 4, 641–657, December 2007Downloaded By: [University of Texas Austin] At: 22:16 30 January 2010Figure 1. Proposed dams on the Gambia River642 A. DeGeorges & B. K. ReillyDownloaded By: [University of Texas Austin] At: 22:16 30 January 2010Within this basin is the Lower Freshwater River Zone from Kuntaur at 250 kmupstream to Gouloumbou, the major zone of pumped irrigation potential (Figure 1).. Continental Basin upstream from Gouloumbou, a stretch of 240 km long to thesource a few kilometres from Labe´in Guinea at an altitude of 1125 m IGN (InstitutGe´ographique National), covering 41 000 km2in area.The Source of the Gambia River, the Fouta Djallon Mountains in Guinea is often called the‘Chateau d’Eau’ or ‘West Africa’s Water Reservoir’ since this is the primary source ofwater for major rivers such as the Gambia, Senegal and Niger.The major development objectives of the OMVG and its member states at the time ofthis analysis were to: (1) achieve self-sufficiency in food in the sub-region; (2) increaserural income and ensure a more equitable distribution of income in the sub-region; and (3)promote industrial development (OMVG, 1985).Originally, this was to be an EA (Environmental Assessment) of a two dam scenario,the politically preferred Balingho anti-salinity barrage and the Kekreti high dam, butbecause of concern over potential catastrophic environmental and social impacts byboth the University of Michigan team and OMVG advisors, an EIS (Environmental ImpactStatement) with multiple scenarios was undertaken (DeGeorges, 2006).Development options included various scenarios of the Kekreti, Sambangalou, MedinaKouta and Kouya high dams alone or in combination with the Balingho anti-salinitybarrage (Figure 1). This would allow a combination of traditional