Concept for Eritrea’s Sustainable Economic Development Red Sea, the Natural Dam of Eritrea

Abstract

The Danakil Depression is located in Eritrea, a few kilometers inland from the Red Sea coast and sinks 120 meters below sea level. This concept paper attempts to explore Eritrea's ability to develop a hydroelectric and potable water generation capacity from the Red Sea. Unlike many countries with access to seas and oceans, Eritrea is endowed with a natural hydro dam because of its geographical location and topography. The Red Sea can be used as a resource for the production of energy as hydro dam and potable water source through desalination. The availability of cheap, clean and environmentally safe energy and water sources will enable the country to eliminate poverty and stop environmental degradation, thus contributing to reduce or minimize the global warming problem. Index Terms—Danakil-depression, economics, Eritrea, hydroelectric-power, red sea I. I NTRODUCTION Eritrea is a young nation, only 20 years old since it achieved its independence in 1993. It is located in the Horn of Africa, bordered in the north and west by Sudan, in the south by Ethiopia and Djibouti, and in the east by the Red Sea Fig. 1. It has an estimated population of about 5.9 million and a total land area of some 12.2 million hectares. Its annual population growth is estimated at 2.9 percent (1). Eritrea is a poor country and faces economical and environmental challenges. Both challenges lead to wide spread poverty for the population. The economic challenges relate to resource constraints to meet the national demand for commercial energy production and inadequate water resources needed for agriculture, mining manufacturing, or service industries (2). The environmental challenges stem from the global warming phenomenon, due to the expansion of the Sahara desert which causes frequent drought across the Sub-Saharan Sahel region. The economic challenge also contributes to wide spread deforestation and overgrazing for subsistence, exposing the barren land to water and wind erosions (3). Subsistence crop production and cattle keeping are the two most important economic activities in Eritrea (4). However, these traditional production methods and livestock populations used in much of the country contribute heavily to land degradation and soil erosion. Desertification due to overgrazing and soil erosion is common in many parts of the country. Energy requirements also put a lot of pressure on the