Egypt and Sudan concerned over Ethiopia’s grand dam
Egypt and Sudan have raised concerns over Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam, which is built on the river Nile and is set to be inaugurated on the 9th of September, reports the Associated Press on September 8th.
The dam began construction in 2011, where it was met with concerns from the countries that share the Nile with Ethiopia, including Egypt and Sudan. The two nations voiced fears of the construction reducing water levels further down the Nile.
Egypt have highlighted the dam as a security risk, saying it may cause droughts downstream. During August, in a meeting between the Egyptian foreign minister and US senators, Egypt termed Ethiopia’s decision to build the dam as “the rejection of unilateral measures that violate international law.”
Meanwhile, Ethiopia have insisted they have no intent to harm neighbouring nations and says the electricity produced by the dam may benefit Ethiopians as well as Egyptians and the Sudanese.
Water experts in Egypt have already said the dam has reduced water levels and has led the Egyptian government to come up with short-term solutions to the water loss, like reducing annual consumption and recycling irrigation water.
Experts in Sudan have spoken favourably of the dam, describing how the amount of seasonal flooding has reduced since the dam’s construction began. However, they also noted that the dam risks to sudden flooding or dry periods within Sudan due to uncoordinated water releases.
Ethiopian Water Minister Habtamu Itefa countered the claims of Sudan’s experts arguing that the water-levels during Sudan’s dry period have been “three to four-fold what they used to get before the dam.”
Fanuse Adete, an Ethiopian citizen, has voiced her excitement for the dam telling reporters: “Previously, our daily lives relied on kerosene lamps and charcoal, which posed significant challenges.”
She continued “However, with the completion of the dam, our entire community is now happy.”
The dam project has been followed by successive plans for developing Ethiopia’s infrastructure. Last month, Ethiopia announced plans to build a mega airport had received a $500 million dollar investment from the African development bank.
The dam is set to produce over 5,000 megawatts of electricity – doubling Ethiopia’s current output.
The Associated Press, Maghrebi.org
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