14 DAY TRIAL // A hydropower plant is now up and running in Africa's Virunga National Park.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, the plant started generating electricity earlier this week, and conservationists were quick to label the event as a major achievement.
They say that people living in and around the Virunga National Park mainly rely on coal to have their power demands met.
Since the hydropower plant is intended to provide these people with the electricity they need in order to go about their daily routine, greenheads expect that, starting this week, coal consumption in the area will decrease.
The World Wildlife Fund claims that, should two more hydropower plants be built in the Virunga National Park, locals would benefit from the creation of 10,000 permanent jobs.
Besides, the amount of electricity they have at their disposal would double.
In time, this can reduce poverty, make agricultural practices more effective and promote both health and education.
“Access to electricity has been recognized to have substantial benefits for poverty reduction, promotion of production, health and education,” the organization explains.