Chutes Kongou (also called the Koungou Falls) is a massive

cataract A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye that leads to a decrease in vision. Cataracts often develop slowly and can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms may include faded colors, blurry or double vision, halos around light, trouble w ...

about wide and up to tall, located in

Ivindo National Park Ivindo National Park is a national park in east-central Gabon in Central Africa, straddling the border of the Ogooué-Ivindo and Ogooué-Lolo provinces. Its creation was announced in August 2002 by then-President Omar Bongo at the Earth Summit ...

in eastern

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...

. It is located on the

Ivindo River The Ivindo River is the most important tributary of the Ogooué River, which flows in Gabon. Course The Ivindo River flows from northeast Gabon to the southwest, eventually emptying into the Ogooué River. It flows through some of the wildest an ...

and is one of the strongest-flowing waterfalls in the world with an average flow of . It is reputed to be the most beautiful waterfall in Central Africa. This part of the Ivindo River is a major centre of fish biodiversity. The falls are within

, created in 2002 to protect among other things this beautiful and biologically diverse stretch of river.http://whoisx.co.uk/youtu.be

Proposed dam

On 14 September 2007, President

Omar Bongo Ondimba El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba (born Albert-Bernard Bongo; 30 December 1935 – 8 June 2009) was a Gabonese politician who was the second President of Gabon for 42 years, from 1967 until his death in 2009. Omar Bongo was promoted to key positions as ...

of Gabon confirmed that a dam would be built at the falls to provide electricity to a large iron mining project in

Belinga Belinga is a location in Gabon with as yet unexploited iron ore deposits. These ore deposits extend into neighbouring Cameroon and Congo. Mining The Belinga iron reserves were discovered in 1895.Douglas A. Yates, "Gabon", in ''Africa Yearbook: ...

further north. The iron mine is essentially for Gabon's economic development, but the dam will inundate a large part of the National Park, and have a serious impact on local livelihoods. Old studies indicate that there are other sites on the river where a dam would be easier to build and the environmental and social impacts would be much less than at Kongou, but no

Environmental impact assessment Environmental Impact assessment (EIA) is the assessment of the environmental consequences of a plan, policy, program, or actual projects prior to the decision to move forward with the proposed action. In this context, the term "environmental imp ...

was done before the decision was made. The decision put into question the President's strategy of developing

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds ...

in Gabon and may well deter investors and tourists alike. It is claimed alleged power of ministry
/ref> that the construction of the dam with no prior

environmental impact study Environmental Impact assessment (EIA) is the assessment of the environmental consequences of a plan, policy, program, or actual projects prior to the decision to move forward with the proposed action. In this context, the term "environmental imp ...

or proper consultation was a sign of the growing power of the Minister of Mines and Petrol at a time when President Bongo's power was declining. Due to opposition from the Gabonese people this project has been stopped.

References

{{reflist

External links

World Waterfalls Database entry on Kongou falls

Brainforest
Waterfalls of Gabon

Proposed dam

See also

References

External links