|
27 May 03 - 01:41 PM (#959870) Subject: Master plan for Ethiopia From: GUEST,Red Eye. Does this sound plausable. Bob Geldolf has returned to Africa to highlight the plight of the current situation caused by a drought. My thoughts are this: After giving money at regular intervals to Christian Aid and the like to feed the world why don't we do this. Build a pipe line from the mountains of Africa where water is plentiful and pump the water to the drought areas of Africa. Drought is the main cause of famine in these areas so instead of a quick fix why not try a big fix? This would provide drinking water, irrigation for crops, etc. What is the point in providing tractors and farming tools when you can't grow anything because of no water. And before anyone says that such a pipe line would be impossible to construct there exists one for oil. Or does that say it all? |
|
27 May 03 - 02:21 PM (#959895) Subject: RE: Master plan for Ethiopia From: GUEST,Q First you would have to stabilize the governments in the rain forest areas of Africa. Second, how would they be paid for the water? Thirdly, built the dams to reservoir the water. Only then would a pipeline be possible. Access to large natural areas would be opened up with parallel invasion by settlers and natural resource entrepreneurs and the eventual destruction of the environment. Much cheaper to import food. Much cheaper to encourage contraception and family management. |
|
27 May 03 - 03:18 PM (#959943) Subject: RE: Master plan for Ethiopia From: GUEST,Red Eye Thanks for the reply. stabilize a government? look at Iraq, easy. Payment would be made as a one off contribution/provide generators for electic. Building a dam is not a big issue. Cheap is not an option. Times $1000,000,000,000,000 over twenty years, you would solve problem. Agree with education regarding contraception. |
|
27 May 03 - 05:45 PM (#960040) Subject: RE: Master plan for Ethiopia From: GUEST,Q Destabilize a government? Look at Iraq, easy. I am afraid I don't share the US government's belief in the tooth fairy. |
|
27 May 03 - 06:35 PM (#960064) Subject: RE: Master plan for Ethiopia From: Charley Noble First, do some research on Ethiopia so you have some idea that much of that country is highland plateau with a climate like Colorado in the summer, only year around. Only the lowlands are dry and hot, but they are dry and hot in the extreme. Second, learn that their current drought, which is real and dire, is compounded by a devestating war with neighboring Eritria, impoverishing both countries further and resulting in over 100,000 causualties. I served three years in Ethiopia, teaching in the Peace Corps, way back in the 1960's, but I like to keep abreast of what is going on there. My reading of the politics is the current government is the best they've had in 30 years. Unfortunately, the war three years ago squandered many of the resources that would have proved useful in dealing with the current drought. The Ethiopians are friendly with the U.S. Government and probably will get substantial aid. If you'd like to help I'd recommend a dedicated donation to OXFAM AMERICA which has several programs in Ethiopia. Sorry if I get testy. Charley Noble |
|
28 May 03 - 08:23 AM (#960405) Subject: RE: Master plan for Ethiopia From: GUEST,Red Eye appreciate your reply Charly and for relaying your hands on experiences. Your soloution is to put my hand in my pocket again? That's what I am trying to say, it does not work. There has to be an altternative?? |
|
28 May 03 - 01:29 PM (#960633) Subject: RE: Master plan for Ethiopia From: Charley Noble Red Eye- Ethiopia is not "our" country to do more than offer aid to, either via our government or via personal donations. More heavy-handed intervention would scarcely be welcomed by Ethiopians. The case for intervention for other reasons, such as the Bush Administration is considering for Iran, doesn't exist. What "we" can do in the short run can be important in relieving immediate famine, and should not be callously dismissed. What needs to be done in the long run is best decided by whoever is in charge of the Ethiopian government, and if "they" do as poor a job as the previous government there will be another coup or mass insurrection. I too get tired of periodic famines, wars, coups, in Ethiopia but I've lost some of my arrogance with regard to intervention since my Peace Corps days. Ethiopia used to be a productive exporting country, with regard to food staples, not to mention some of the best coffee (Harrar) in the world. And politically, It's still not the basket case that neighboring Somalia is. I'm still hopeful for their future. Charley Noble |
|
28 May 03 - 01:43 PM (#960649) Subject: RE: Master plan for Ethiopia From: GUEST,Red Eye Why does there need to be 'heavy handed intervention'. The conversation woulg go something like this, "you are all dieing of starvation, we can and will fix your problem long term by irrigating your desert land so that you can grow food to feed yourselves. We do not require paying for this as the long term economic results will heavily outweigh what we already pump into you currently". Then again, we could provide farming tools and tractors for them right away, couldn't we? |
|
28 May 03 - 09:11 PM (#960909) Subject: RE: Master plan for Ethiopia From: toadfrog Point is, Red Eye, big dams and water transfer programs have troublesome consequences. 1. The land which is flooded by those dams is land where people live. Where are they to go? 2. I assume the "mountains" you are talking about are in Ethiopia. I could be wrong, but I believe the main tributaries of the Nile rise in Ethiopia. I would think the Egyptians would have a legitimate grievance if you took all the water that flows into the Nile and pumped it somewhere else. 3. Irrigation systems destroy ecologies. In the United States, we are busily pumping out aquifers that took thousands of years to fill. Iraq was once the cradle of civilization. |
|
28 May 03 - 09:59 PM (#960927) Subject: RE: Master plan for Ethiopia From: GUEST Also it doesn't take dams long to silt up in many areas. The Nile, especially the lower parts, are silt-loaded. The Aswan dam has stopped much of the downstream silting that brought nutrition to the fields bordering the river; as a result soil fertility and food production are down in downstream Egypt. |
|
29 May 03 - 10:09 AM (#961236) Subject: RE: Master plan for Ethiopia From: GUEST,Red Eye In Wales they have cut off the top of a mountain, (unlivable, therefore no one needs to be rehoused), excavated the inside and allowed it to fill with water, creating a 'natural head' to distribute water to the Midlands of England. The water collected is not directly from any river, just natural rainfall that would be lost to the ground. Ethiopia does have rainfall but this resource is wasted i the long trm. |
|
29 May 03 - 08:10 PM (#961548) Subject: RE: Master plan for Ethiopia From: Charley Noble One of the publications I subscribe to as a RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer) is called The Herald, and a massive issue just got delivered. No I haven't had time to digest it all. But one of the things I note is, for better or worse, the Ethiopians have contracted with the Chinese to build a giant dam, 600 feet high, 300 megawatts, on one of the Blue Nile tributaries that flows through the northeastern highlands. They are in the first year of a five year construction project. Unfortunately, world coffee prices have taken a nose dive; they have declined 70% since 1998, a 30-year low. Sigh, I could now get a kilo of my favorite Harar coffee in Ethiopia for about $1.65 US; that same kilo costs me about $20 US at my local supermarket. You know, the international marketing systems just sucks up about 90% of the profit of producing and distributing coffee. My point? It's not just market reform in third world countries that's needed for improved economic development. But you all knew that, right? Meanwhile, this dire drought has already killed nearly 180,000 cattle. On site inspections by international relief workers mirror observations during the 1984 drought. Emergency food shipments in the "pipeline" are on the way but probably will not meet the demand. I still would encourage thoughtful donations. Charley Noble RPCV (1965-68) |
|
30 May 03 - 02:30 AM (#961668) Subject: RE: Master plan for Ethiopia From: GUEST,Red Eye This is fantastic news for these people. I always thought that this was a way forward for these people. Of course donations should not be stopped and that was never my intention to ask people to do so, but it is good that this is a way forward.# |