Uganda Government scraps the 360 watt dam construction proposal  at Murchison Falls

Uganda Cabinet in the latest sitting has agreed to drop the proposal to construct a Dam on River Nile near Murchison falls.

Minister of tourism Ephraim Kamuntu said that the dam will “affect the scenery, ecosystem and subsequently tourism”.

This is a great relief to passionate holiday makers, environmentalists, tour operators and hoteliers.

Murchison Falls National Park

Murchison Falls National Park is a popular tourist destination. The water falls squeeze through a narrow gorge creating a misty splash and thunderous sound . It continues its journey to Mediterranean Sea through Lake Albert, Sudan and Egypt.

The National park is home to elephants, Giraffes, Buffalos, Lions, hippos and crocodiles and over 400 bird species and also home to Uhuru falls a scenic tributary falls created in 1962 as a result of a heavy down pour.

Over the past months Ugandan press has been awash with stories about a prospective contractor of a dam on River Nile.

The Electricity regulatory Authority  issued a notice of the intended application to construct a dam in the press and encouraged dissenting voices to respond in writing after the initial outcry.

This did not stop passionate Ugandans to “informally show their outrage” on social media platforms using the hashtag #savemurchisonfalls.

Most hydro dam critics have been passionate about the falls remaining as is. For the passionate Tour operator’s association, they took the spirited campaign seriously by sharing their opinion in writing. As part of the campaign, press conferences were held at the Top of Murchison falls to publicly show their disenchantment.

Social media campaign

Thanks to the current trend of technology that has created the opportunities for the birth of social media platforms. Tourism enthusiasts shared their story passionately.

Most people put up a spirited campaign on social media platforms face book and twitter. It was the easiest way for the public to show their concern about conservation for future generations.

The falls is named after the President of the Royal Geographical society, Roderick Murchison by explorer Sir Samuel Baker.

Murchison falls is a tourist magnet and attracts more than 100,000 tourists ever year. The falls featured in the Hollywood classic The African Queen in 1951.

Destroying the falls in favour for the Murchison dam would mean that the National park named after them would no longer attract tourists and the whole tourism supply chain and ecosystem would be disrupted or destroyed.

Famous visitors to the park include Sir Winston Churchill, film star Humphrey Bogart, Kanye West and wife Kim Kardashian.