ABSTRACT
The aim of the study is to investigate the impact of the Gwembe Tonga Development
Project (GTDP) on the Gwembe Tonga (GT) people. The GT people were displaced in
1956 to pave way for the construction of the Kariba Dam that would increase the
electricity supply to the mines in the Copperbelt and farmers. The number of people
displaced was 57, 000 and they were not adequately resettled, rehabilitated and
compensated. The GTDP was created in 1996 with the main objective to mitigate the
negative impacts that the GT people have endured from the time they were displaced to
date.
A review of international literature on dams has indicated that dam constructions have led
to displacement of the poor and marginalized people. Over 40 million people have been
displaced worldwide. As shown in the literature review, are case studies that demonstrate
the impacts of dams on people. In this study there six countries that have been listed
namely India, China, Lesotho, Togo, Mozambique and Zambia. The people in these
countries have experienced similar problems in terms of inadequate compensation,
resettlement and rehabilitation. It is also noted that these dams leave a negative impact on
the local community and environment.
Development projects are equated with a general process of modernization where
developed nations’ ways of conducting its affairs have been adopted by the developing
countries to boost their economic development. This study has also looked at the
developmental theories that the developing countries have adopted for economic
transformation of both natural and built environments through construction of projects
such as dams, roads, irrigation systems, pipelines, and energy resources, aimed eventually
at generating and supporting both agricultural and industrial growth, and with them,
increased national incomes. These large-scale development projects frequently make
references to benefit the general population but experience has shown that the social costs
of these projects are often borne by the indigent rural communities.
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/7016 |
Date | 12 June 2009 |
Creators | Musonda, Brenda Lulu |
Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
Language | English |
Detected Language | English |
Type | Thesis |
Format | application/pdf |
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