The Tanzanian National Development Corporation (NDC) came out for the first time on 28 May 2008 to defend the controversial proposed soda ash project near Lake Natron in Manyara region.
It also promi…
The Tanzanian National Development Corporation (NDC) came out for the first time on 28 May 2008 to defend the controversial proposed soda ash project near Lake Natron in Manyara region. It also promised to proceed with the multi-billion shilling project. Addressing a press conference on 28 May 2008, NDC managing director Gideon Nasari said it was not just the environmentalists who were keen on preserving the environment and biodiversity of the lake but the government as well. “I want to dispel the wrong allegations and impression that it is only the environmentalists who are concerned with preserving the environment, more especially biodiversity of Lake Natron”. According to Mr. Nasari, NDC was conscious and very serious about preserving the environment and biodiversity of the area. “We showed our concern when we reacted immediately to take into account the genuine concerns of environmentalists on the initial Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) report”, he said. Environmentalists have raised objections to the construction of the soda ash project at the Lake Natron area. They say it will affect the breeding of lesser flamingoes and also harm people living around the area. However, Mr Nasari said the site on which the project will be carried out is 32 kilometres from the original site. He said this would not interfere with the birds. “Being 32 kilometers from Lake Natron means that the project will not be harmful to human beings nor flamingoes”, he said. He added that although the environmentalists were concerned about the lesser flamingoes, the government and developers were concerned with maximizing local and international economic benefits from both flamingoes and soda ash. The Lake Natron project is estimated to cost USD 450 million (TZS 517.5 billion). It will include construction of the plant to extract sodium carbonate, a workers“ village and strengthening of the infrastructure. The latter includes construction of the Longido-Lake Natron road, a railway line from Arusha to Lake Natron and a power transmission line. According to Mr Nasari, the project will initially start with the production of 500,000 tonnes of soda ash and later expand to produce 1,000,000 tonnes per year. It will also create direct employment opportunities for 500 people and 2,000 casual labourers. It is hoped that the project will bring a turnover of at least USD 300 million (about TZS 345 billion). Mr Nasari said the environmentalists should not look just at the negative side of the project but also at how helpful it would be to Tanzanian society. He urged them to put forward more scientific evidence to support their claims as he said their aims of frustrating the project were driven more by economic interest than environmental concern.