CONTEXT:

The Inga 3 dam has long been planned on the Congo River, the world’s second-largest river by volume, and recently found to be the world’s deepest river. The river is unique in that it has large rapids and waterfalls very close to the mouth while most rivers have these features upstream. The river’s powerful rapids at the Inga site are said to possess the largest hydropower potential in the world, which has for decades attracted dam planners who have dreamed of harnessing the mighty Congo’s power.

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PROJECT IMPACTS:

The Congo River nourishes immense biodiversity: It’s home to at least 700 fish species, and it supports the world’s second-largest rainforest. It also empties its vast sediment load into one of the largest carbon sinks in the world, the Congo Plume in the Atlantic. The incredible velocity at the Inga site likewise makes it a hotspot for extremely rare endemic freshwater species that have only recently begun to be studied and documented. 

 

The Congo River sustains mangrove forests at its mouth which are rich in biodiversity and protected by a national park. The mangrove islands are home to manatee populations and other endangered species, and to several villages. Mangroves help protect coastal areas from the ravages of large storms, and are highly vulnerable to impacts from damming.

 

In addition to riverine biodiversity, the planned dams will affect the habitats of endangered chimpanzees, vulnerable hippopotamus and other mammal populations. Beyond impacts near and downstream of the Inga site, the project’s footprint would potentially be enormous, with very little known about the routing of the transmissions lines and the impacts they would have on communities, wildlife, and protected areas along the way.