Tanzania yazindua rasmi bwawa la umeme
Na Florian Kaijage
Bwawa kubwa zaidi Afrika Mashariki la kufua umeme wa nguvu za maji unazinduliwa leo nchini Tanzania.
Rais wa Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan ndiye mgeni rasmi katika uzinduzi huo. Waziri Mkuu wa Misri, Mostafa Madbouly anamwakilisha Rais, Abdel Fattah el Sisi wa Misri, anakotokea mkandarasi mkuu wa mradi huo, kampuni ya Arab Contractors.
Bwawa hilo lililopewa jina la Rais wa kwanza wa Tanzania, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, lina uwezo wa kuzalisha megawatt 2115 za umeme, hivyo kuwa moja ya mabwawa makubwa ya kufua umeme barani Afrika.
Mradi huo ulianza kutekelezwa Juni, 2019 baada ya mkataba kusainiwa mwaka 2018 wakati wa uongozi wa Rais John Magufuli aliyehuisha wazo na usanifu wa bwawa hilo la mwanzoni mwa miaka ya 1970, lakini utekelezaji wake ulishindikana kutokana na sababu mbalimbali ikiwemo ukosefu wa fedha na pingamizi kutoka kwa watetezi wa hifadhi ya mazingira, waliopinga ukataji wa miti kupisha ujenzi huo
Bwawa la Mwalimu Nyerere lipo ndani ya iliyokuwa mbuga ya wanyama ya Selous, iliyopo kwenye orodha ya maeneo ya urithi wa dunia chini ya Shirika la Sayansi, Elimu na Utamaduni la Umoja wa Mataifa (UNESCO).
Ujenzi wake pamoja na mitambo ya kufua umeme umegharimu dola za Marekani bilioni 2.9. Lipo pembezoni mwa mto Rufiji.
Soma pia:
Facts Only
* The largest hydroelectric dam in East Africa was inaugurated in Tanzania.
* The President of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan, was the official guest at the launch.
* The Prime Minister of Egypt, Mostafa Madbouly, represented President Abdel Fattah el Sisi of Egypt and the chief contractor, Arab Contractors.
* The dam is named after Tanzania's first president, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.
* The dam has the capacity to generate 2115 megawatts of electricity.
* The project began implementation in June 2019 following a 2018 contract.
* The concept and design originated during President John Magufuli's tenure in the early 1970s.
* Construction faced delays due to lack of funds and opposition from environmental advocates against deforestation.
* The dam is located near the Rufiji River.
* It is situated on the periphery of the Selous wildlife reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
* The total cost for construction and power plant facilities was $2.9 billion USD.
