Could the mighty Zambezi River really become a waterway?
Worrying reports have recently surfaced in the press that the Zambezi Seaway Scheme, first raised in the 1950s by the Portuguese to reduce freight costs for landlocked countries in southern Africa, is back on the cards. .
The proposed seaway would be 1,500 km long, stretching from Victoria Falls in western Zimbabwe to the Indian Ocean in eastern Mozambique. The promoters of this mammoth scheme, the Zambezi Seaway Corporation, say it will offer a cheaper, faster and more efficient route to the ocean, thereby boosting local economies. The current cost of transporting large quantities of goods and minerals to the coast is prohibitive. Thus, by floating these goods, the cost of transportation would be drastically reduced, bringing them to the world market at greatly reduced prices, leading to an industrial boom.
The developers intend to dredge some sections, while the channels and locks will be used to bypass the rapids. Simple: well, the walls of the Cahora Bassa and Kariba dams will also have to be circumvented, apparently via a boat lift.
Can this really be true?
Reading various reports on the subject, the people behind this corporation are considering this. Haven’t we made enough of a mess of our planet earth by now? Have we learned nothing from the mistakes we have already made? Do we really need another industrial boom? Haven’t the latest industrial booms done enough damage to our world? Damage – that many of us are now trying to correct.
The concept is based purely on the economic advantages for the people of the region and the economies of the host world. There is no doubt that this would stimulate economies, but at what cost, it is about people, people, people.
No one seems to have considered the impact such a project will have on the environment and the abundant wildlife that thrives along the banks of the Zambezi or in its waters.
It is not up to us to destroy it, what right do we have to take one of nature’s most magnificent spectacles and turn it into a man-made seaway for our own economic gain? We are the custodians of this planet. Is this what you would call taking care of it?
If anyone, including the people behind the concept, took the time to experience this place of incredible beauty in its entirety, they would not be able to contemplate destroying it. This 1,500 km stretch of water is home to some of the most outstanding wildlife areas left on our planet.
I respect that each one of us on this planet has a different point of view. That if you didn’t know the Zambezi intimately, then you could be forgiven for not thinking of changing it from a place of outstanding natural beauty to economic viability.
But for those of us who know about this place, we must do everything we can to expose the value and beauty of this place to the people behind this scheme. Showing that if we destroy it, it can never be replaced, is it fair to our children, just so we can export cheaper minerals? Everything for the benefit of humanity is what it really is about. Does the animal kingdom really have no say in this?
The cost is expected to exceed US$3 billion, which is hopefully enough of a deterrent to prevent this scheme from going ahead. The worrying thing is that some nutcase in a government department who gets a big enough spin, along with possible backing from the East, could really get this project off the ground and destroy one of the world’s natural wonderlands.
We have to take action and prevent this from happening.
Before you can truly live, you need to find something worth dying for!
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