Before the Flood: How an "illegal" dam project could destroy forests and biodiversity in one of Congo's oldest national parks

The Sombwe Dam project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo threatens Upemba National Park, potentially violating national conservation law and risking the loss of rare species and critical forests. The project, intended to power the copper and cobalt mining belt, could release 1.3 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent by the end of the century due to forest submergence. Global Witness calls for the suspension of work by PowerChina and demands that international financiers and the DRC government seek alternative sites to avoid devastating biodiversity and climate impacts.

• The 160-megawatt Sombwe Dam project may be illegal because it is located within Upemba National Park, which could put it in violation of Congolese conservation law.
• The project threatens critical biodiversity in Upemba National Park, including the DRC's last remaining zebras and savannah elephants, and risks the livelihoods of local fishing communities.
• Submerging forests to create a reservoir of up to one billion cubic metres could result in emissions equivalent to 1.3 million tonnes of CO2 by the end of the century, exceeding the emissions from burning 3 million barrels of oil.
• A leaked study commissioned by the EU described the initial environmental assessment for the Sombwe Dam as 'seriously flawed'.
• The project involves PowerChina and Kipay Investments, with PowerChina having received financial backing from major international entities including BlackRock, Vanguard, Standard Chartered, Société Générale, and China Construction Bank.

APA

Global Witness (n.d.). Before the Flood: How an "illegal" dam project could destroy forests and biodiversity in one of Congo's oldest national parks. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/before-the-flood-the-dam-that-threatens-one-of-africas-oldest-national-parks/

Chicago

Global Witness. Before the Flood: How an "illegal" dam project could destroy forests and biodiversity in one of Congo's oldest national parks. n.d. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/before-the-flood-the-dam-that-threatens-one-of-africas-oldest-national-parks/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Witness |title=Before the Flood: How an "illegal" dam project could destroy forests and biodiversity in one of Congo's oldest national parks |url=https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/before-the-flood-the-dam-that-threatens-one-of-africas-oldest-national-parks/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalwitnessndbefore, author = {{Global Witness}}, title = {{Before the Flood: How an "illegal" dam project could destroy forests and biodiversity in one of Congo's oldest national parks}}, institution = {Global Witness}, url = {https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/forests/before-the-flood-the-dam-that-threatens-one-of-africas-oldest-national-parks/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }