Kandadji dam
Encyclopedia
The Kandadji dam when completed, will be a large multipurpose dam on the Niger River
. The site is situated near the small town of Kandadji, Tillabéri Department
, Tillabéri Region, Niger
, 180 km northwest of the capital Niamey
. Construction of the dam was begun in August 2008. It is being built by the Haut Commissariat à l'Aménagement de la Vallée du Niger (High Commission for Niger Valley), a public body under the Primer Minister's Office. The dam will generate hydropower and is aimed at controlling the flow of the Niger River, holding water during the dry season to maintain a minimum flow and making downstream irrigation possible. The project is formally named the Kandadji Programme for Ecosystem Regeneration and Niger River Development (Programme Kandadji de Régénération des Ecosystèmes et de Mise en Valeur du Fleuve Niger). The dam itself is expected to be completed in 2013.
The project is a very high profile project for Niger. According to the Prime Minister at the time of initiating construction, Seyni Oumarou
, "no other development project will have sparked so much long term interest or such high expectations". The first brick of the dam was laid by the President of Niger, Mamadou Tandja.
, and that of a 2000 ha irrigation project with financing from the West African Development Bank
. In 2005 and 2006 consultations were undertaken as part of the environmental and social assessment, which included participants from the World Wide Fund for Nature
and International Union for Conservation of Nature. Construction of the dam was begun in August 2008. In April 2009 a workshop on benefit sharing from dams in West Africa was held in Niamey organized by the Niger Basin Authority
, the International Institute for Environment and Development
and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The workshop recommended to improve the communication towards the people affected by the dam and to pay particular attention to legal processes related to resettlement, and to continue to reflect on a future management structure to equitably share the benefits of the dam. In November 2009 a process to select consultants to accompany the resettlement has been initiated.
Financing and construction of the dam was relaunched at a ceremony on 23 May 2011, following the election of President Mahamadou Issoufou
. Construction expected to total USD$942 million was contracted to Russian company Zarubezhvodstroy, and paid for through several Persian Gulf state funds. Plans were announced in June 2011 to relocate 5383 individuals and 770 families who will be displaced by the dam.
infrastructure (a national road, boreholes, clinics, schools, mosques, slaughterhouses, markets
and grain mills) and loss of about 7,000 ha of agricultural land. According to a 2007 report by UNEP's Dams and Development Project, which itself was a follow-up activity to a report by the World Commission on Dams
, the Kandadji project "serves as a useful example of the projection and estimation of social effects, which appears to have been widely encompassing, covering both negative impacts and benefits." These impacts were "projected at an early stage in project planning, enabling issues and potential impacts to be addressed in subsequent planning phases."
The project is expected to improve the river's ecology, which has suffered from a 30% decline in river flows since the 1970s. The dam would regulate flows. According to press reports from Nigeria, the project would reduce the river flow to Nigeria by at least 10 percent, thus jeopardizing power production from two existing dams in Nigeria and meaning a "colossal loss (...) to the agricultural capacity of (Nigerian) states that border the River Niger". However, according to the 2008 environmental assessment of the project the "modifications of the quantities of water flowing into the Niger River as a result of the Kandadji dam will be minimal in Nigeria". The average loss through evaporation and modification of the Niger River water flows in Nigeria will be low (2.3% at Jebba) and there will be positive impacts by improving the minimum water level in Nigeria.
. In February 2009, an additional US$ 15m was pledged by the OPEC Fund for International Development
. The African Development Bank
approved a combined loan and grant of US$62 million in October 2008. In January 2010 the Saudi Development Fund
approved a grant of US$ 20m for the project.
Financing for the hydropower station itself is due to come from a public-private partnership.
Niger River
The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...
. The site is situated near the small town of Kandadji, Tillabéri Department
Tillabéri Department
Tillabéri is a department of the Tillabéri Region in Niger. Its capital lies at the city of Tillabéri, and contains the Communes of Ayorou , Anzourou, Dessa, Kourteye, and Sinder. Tillabéri is also the capitol of Tillabéri Region...
, Tillabéri Region, Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
, 180 km northwest of the capital Niamey
Niamey
-Population:While Niamey's population has grown steadily since independence, the droughts of the early 1970s and 1980s, along with the economic crisis of the early 1980s, have propelled an exodus of rural inhabitants to Niger's largest city...
. Construction of the dam was begun in August 2008. It is being built by the Haut Commissariat à l'Aménagement de la Vallée du Niger (High Commission for Niger Valley), a public body under the Primer Minister's Office. The dam will generate hydropower and is aimed at controlling the flow of the Niger River, holding water during the dry season to maintain a minimum flow and making downstream irrigation possible. The project is formally named the Kandadji Programme for Ecosystem Regeneration and Niger River Development (Programme Kandadji de Régénération des Ecosystèmes et de Mise en Valeur du Fleuve Niger). The dam itself is expected to be completed in 2013.
The project is a very high profile project for Niger. According to the Prime Minister at the time of initiating construction, Seyni Oumarou
Seyni Oumarou
Seyni Oumarou is a Nigerien politician who was Prime Minister of Niger from June 2007 to September 2009 and President of the National Assembly of Niger from November 2009 to February 2010. He is from the west of the country and is a member of the Djerma ethnic group...
, "no other development project will have sparked so much long term interest or such high expectations". The first brick of the dam was laid by the President of Niger, Mamadou Tandja.
History
The project was first proposed in the 1970s, when a larger dam had been considered. In 1998 the African Development Bank approved funding for a feasibility study that was conducted by the German consulting firm Lahmeyer. Under the study, an environmental and social diagnosis and an initial environmental and social assessment were conducted. The findings were presented in 2002. In August 2002 the government decided by Decree to go ahead with the project, which was from now on called the Kandadji Ecosystems Regeneration and Niger Valley Development Programme. Subsequently, a detailed environmental and social impact assessment including, a Population Resettlement Plan and a Local Development Plan, was conducted. The Local Development Plan was designed to facilitate the economic transition of displaced persons in order to restore their standard of living or even enhance it, beyond mere resettlement. The final design of the dam was prepared with financing from the Islamic Development BankIslamic Development Bank
The Islamic Development Bank is a multilateral development financing institution located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was founded by the first conference of Finance Ministers of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference , convened 23 Dhu'l Qa'dah 1393 AH.The bank officially began its activities on...
, and that of a 2000 ha irrigation project with financing from the West African Development Bank
West African Development Bank
The West African Development Bank - WADB is an international Multilateral Development Bank established in 1973 to serve the nations of Francophone and Lusophone West Africa...
. In 2005 and 2006 consultations were undertaken as part of the environmental and social assessment, which included participants from the World Wide Fund for Nature
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
and International Union for Conservation of Nature. Construction of the dam was begun in August 2008. In April 2009 a workshop on benefit sharing from dams in West Africa was held in Niamey organized by the Niger Basin Authority
Niger Basin Authority
The Niger Basin Authority is an intergovernmental organisation in West Africa aiming to foster co-operation in managing and developing the resources of the basin of the River Niger...
, the International Institute for Environment and Development
International Institute for Environment and Development
The International Institute for Environment and Development is a London-based policy research centre and think tank.- History :IIED was established by the economist Barbara Ward in 1971...
and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The workshop recommended to improve the communication towards the people affected by the dam and to pay particular attention to legal processes related to resettlement, and to continue to reflect on a future management structure to equitably share the benefits of the dam. In November 2009 a process to select consultants to accompany the resettlement has been initiated.
Financing and construction of the dam was relaunched at a ceremony on 23 May 2011, following the election of President Mahamadou Issoufou
Mahamadou Issoufou
Mahamadou Issoufou is a Nigerien politician who has been President of Niger since 7 April 2011. Previously he was Prime Minister of Niger from 1993 to 1994 and President of the National Assembly from 1995 to 1996, and he has stood as a candidate in each presidential election since 1993.Issoufou...
. Construction expected to total USD$942 million was contracted to Russian company Zarubezhvodstroy, and paid for through several Persian Gulf state funds. Plans were announced in June 2011 to relocate 5383 individuals and 770 families who will be displaced by the dam.
Technical features
The earth dyke dam will be 8.4 km dam long, creating a reservoir of 1.6 billion m3 and a regulated discharge of 120 m3/second (3.8 km3/year) in Niamey. The hydroelectric plant will have a capacity of 130 Megawatt, and a 132 Kilovolt high voltage line will be built over 188 km to Niamey. Irrigation development will consist of a first phase of 6,000 hectares mainly for the benefit of resettled communities, with a medium-term target in 2034 of 45,000 hectares out of an irrigable potential of 122,000 hectares.Benefits
The expected benefits include increased agricultural production and hydropower generation. Niger imports almost half of its electricity consumption of 440 million kWh (2007) from neighboring Nigeria, which itself suffers frequent power cuts. The plant would increase installed capacity in Niger from 240 Megawatt (MW) in 2007 to 370 MW (+55%). Other expected benefits are related to "drinking water supply, sanitation, improved flood recession cropping, grazing and fishery".Financial costs
The financial costs of the broader project, including the infrastructure for irrigation and drinking water supply, are estimated at US$670 million.Environmental, social and downstream impact
Negative social impacts include the resettlement of almost 35,000 people from 15 villages, loss ofinfrastructure (a national road, boreholes, clinics, schools, mosques, slaughterhouses, markets
and grain mills) and loss of about 7,000 ha of agricultural land. According to a 2007 report by UNEP's Dams and Development Project, which itself was a follow-up activity to a report by the World Commission on Dams
World Commission on Dams
The World Commission on Dams was formed in April 1997, to research the environmental, social and economic impacts of the development of large dams globally...
, the Kandadji project "serves as a useful example of the projection and estimation of social effects, which appears to have been widely encompassing, covering both negative impacts and benefits." These impacts were "projected at an early stage in project planning, enabling issues and potential impacts to be addressed in subsequent planning phases."
The project is expected to improve the river's ecology, which has suffered from a 30% decline in river flows since the 1970s. The dam would regulate flows. According to press reports from Nigeria, the project would reduce the river flow to Nigeria by at least 10 percent, thus jeopardizing power production from two existing dams in Nigeria and meaning a "colossal loss (...) to the agricultural capacity of (Nigerian) states that border the River Niger". However, according to the 2008 environmental assessment of the project the "modifications of the quantities of water flowing into the Niger River as a result of the Kandadji dam will be minimal in Nigeria". The average loss through evaporation and modification of the Niger River water flows in Nigeria will be low (2.3% at Jebba) and there will be positive impacts by improving the minimum water level in Nigeria.
Financing
Funding of $236 million USD was pledged by the Islamic Development BankIslamic Development Bank
The Islamic Development Bank is a multilateral development financing institution located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was founded by the first conference of Finance Ministers of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference , convened 23 Dhu'l Qa'dah 1393 AH.The bank officially began its activities on...
. In February 2009, an additional US$ 15m was pledged by the OPEC Fund for International Development
OPEC Fund for International Development
The OPEC Fund for International Development is a multilateral development finance institution established in 1976 by the Member Countries of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries...
. The African Development Bank
African Development Bank
The African Development Bank Group is a development bank established in 1964 with the intention of promoting economic and social development in Africa...
approved a combined loan and grant of US$62 million in October 2008. In January 2010 the Saudi Development Fund
Saudi foreign assistance
Since the 1970s Saudi Arabia has provided foreign assistance to many countries and organizations.Between 1976 and 2006, Saudi developmental aid amounted to US$49 billion, second only to the United States of America. The ODA/GNP ratio averaged 4.2% over this period, well above the highest amount...
approved a grant of US$ 20m for the project.
Financing for the hydropower station itself is due to come from a public-private partnership.
Further sources
- Multi-purpose Projects: Kandadji Dam Niger. Lahmeyer International (2008). (Link broken)
- Assessment of the environmental impacts of the Kandadji dam project: an energy choice identified under the National Energy and Sustainable Development Program. Hassane Kimba / Nigerian Association of Environmental Impact Assessment Professionals. AJEAM-RAGEE Volume 5 April 2003; 46-54 (Link broken)
- Haut Commissariat au Barrage de Kandadji (official site). Republique du Niger: Cabinet du Premier Ministre. Retrieved 2009-02-01. (Link broken)
- Niger - Evaluation de l'effet du barrage de Kandadji sur les pecheries du fleuve Niger. Un rapport prepare pour le projet assistance a l'Autorite du Barrage de Kandadji (ABK); Document de travail 1. (French) Welcomme, R.L., / FAO, Rome (Italy). Fisheries Dept. , 1981 , 7 p. Report No: FAO-FI—TCP/NER/0103(MA)