The project impacts the Lufira River Basin Ramsar site and a UNESCO World Heritage tentative mixed cultural and natural site.
The project is located in a National Park and threatens more than 40 archaelogical sites that reconstruct the history of the Luba.
The project contains habitat for a number of vulnerable species, such as the last savannah elephants in Katanga as well as the last zebras in DRC.
The project would negatively impact the old-growth Miombo forests (Miombo woodland is a dry forest).
The project would block the Lufira River, a free-flowing river.
The Sombwe Dam is proposed to be located in Upemba National Park, one of the oldest national parks in the Democratic Republic of Congo. If fully built, the dam will dramatically degrade the rich and diverse ecosystems in the area. Unlike typical tropical forests in the DRC, Upemba National Park is unique in that it contains a wide array of ecosystems, including highland steppe, high altitude grasslands, savannah woodlands, flooded grasslands, to wetlands and river networks. Because of the variety of habitats, the area is highly biodiverse with land and aquatic fauna, with a very vulnerable population of zebras, buffalos, lions, elephants, leopards, wild dogs, among others. The park boasts stunning scenery, and has tremendous potential for tourism given its rich biodiversity and relative easy access and stability in DRC.
Notably, Upemba National Park is part of the Lufira River Basin, which is a recognized Ramsar site. The Upemba depression is also on the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list since 1997 as a mixed Cultural and Natural Heritage. Spanning across 44,709 square kilometers, the Lufira River Basin and Lake Upemba are a critical watershed for the region, supporting both local communities, endemic species, and migratory fish. This vast depression has delivered the largest cementeries known south of the Sahara. More than 40 archaeological sites have been listed, but only six of them have been partially excavated so far. Their study makes it possible to trace the complete sequence of the occupation of the region over more than two millennia and thus to reconstruct the history of a major ethnic group of Central Africa: the Luba.
By blocking the river’s natural flow, the dam project may cause irrevocable changes to the river, resulting in increased sediment and decreased water quality. Furthermore, the construction of the associated artificial 40 km dam reservoir would likely negatively impact the paths of migratory elephants, and may even hamper efforts to re-introduce rhinos back into the area. Damming the river would also increase the risk of disease, which could be particularly hazardous to the approximately 80,000 fisherman and downstream communities who depend on fishing livelihoods.
Despite these serious environmental and social risks, in June 2019, PowerChina and the Congolese company, Kipay Investments Sarl, signed a joint venture for the construction of the 150 MW Sombwe hydropower plant in the DRC. National parks are considered Congolese Protected Areas, meaning that it is illegal to construct a dam in Upemba National Park. As such, the project violates Law No. 14/003 of February 11, 2014 relating to nature conservation. According to activists, the dam project would also violate Law No. 11/009 of July 9, 2001 relating to fundamental principles relating to the protection of the environment, as the ESIA does not meet the principles and requirements for SEA and ESIA provided for by this law. Compounding the situation is the project developer’s failure to design a consultation process based on free, prior, and informed consent with local communities, per international best practice. In November 2019, road construction to the dam site began.
Alarmingly, DRC park staff who have voiced concern regarding the environmental and social impacts of the dam have been offered bribes in exchange for their silence, or have even faced death threats.
