Eyewitnesses reported to Ethiopian Review yesterday that Tekeze River in northern Ethiopia has flooded, raising suspicion that the recently completed hydro-power dam may have sustained damage. Some speculate that the Woyanne regime flooded the river to restrict movement in the area, which has seen intensified movements by Ethiopian resistance groups who are fighting against the brutal regime.
Normally, until the month of July, Tekeze’s water level is low. In the past few days, unexpectedly the river flooded causing some people who tried to cross it to drown.
The Woyanne regime is not willing to give out any information about the flood.
The Tekeze hydro-power project was inaugurated on November 14, 2009. It has the capacity to generate 300 MW electric power and was constructed at a cost of 3.9 billion birr. The project took seven year to complete.
In late January, the Gilgel Gibe hydro-power dam in southern Ethiopia stopped power generation when a part of its 26-kilometer tunnel collapsed.