The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a massive hydroelectric facility situated on the River Nile in the vicinity of Sudan and Egypt is now producing electricity in Benishangul-Gumuz, Ethiopia.
The Vice-Chair of Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam Coordinating Council, Faqrati Tamru, announced on Friday that the construction of the Renaissance Dam was almost complete, with 90 per cent of the project finished.
In the meantime, Dr Hani Sewilam, Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, cautioned that the ongoing unilateral actions to operate the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam may be detrimental to his country and lead to serious negative consequences for Egypt’s social and economic stability.
Tamru shared with various sources the challenges, diplomatic pressures, and internal conflicts that the dam has faced. The Renaissance Dam Project Coordination Council also proclaimed a celebration on Saturday, commemorating the 12th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone for this dam. This proclamation was released shortly after Egypt warned of the economic, social, and environmental dangers of unilateral actions on shared river basins.
At the United Nations’ Mid-Term Comprehensive Review conference in New York, Dr Sewilam expressed Egypt’s desire for joint cooperation with other countries to achieve benefits for all involved. He emphasized the importance of working together to ensure equitable and safe use of shared water resources, as a large proportion of the population lives in regions where rivers and lakes are shared.
The irrigation minister stated that Egypt is heavily dependent on the Nile River and is committed to improving coordination between the Nile Basin countries. He pointed out the unilateral and uncooperative actions that contradict international law and the biased implementation of it.
The Egyptian Minister of Irrigation expressed disapproval over the breach of the fundamental principle of cooperation, which necessitates consultation and assessment of the potential social, economic, and environmental effects of the proposed measures. This is illustrated by Ethiopia’s commencement of the construction of the Renaissance Dam more than a decade ago without conducting the necessary studies on the potential impacts.
The minister pointed out that the construction and utilization of the Renaissance Dam is being done without considering the studies that have yet to be conducted or any legally-binding agreement in place. This completely violates the presidential statement made by the UN Security Council in 2021.
He went on to say that if unilateral and uncooperative strategies are maintained, it could be detrimental to Egypt. Despite arguments that hydroelectric projects should not be harmful, if such unilateral approaches are combined with an extended period of drought, there may be catastrophic repercussions for the social and economic well-being of Egypt, potentially leading to the displacement of over 1.10 million people and the destruction of much of the cultivated land.
On Thursday, Ethiopia accused Egypt of breaking the UN Charter and the African Union’s Constitutive Act due to the statements made by Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry concerning the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
The Ethiopian capital city of Addis Ababa harshly criticized the remarks made by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry. He had declared that “all choices and alternatives are at the disposal of Egypt due to its capabilities, international ties, and resources.”
These statements were in response to Ethiopia’s plans to proceed with the fourth filling of the dam’s reservoir without reaching a consensus with the downstream nations, Egypt and Sudan.
Egypt has been voicing its concerns about the dam for years, claiming that it will significantly reduce the flow of the Nile River and disrupt Egypt’s water supply. Ethiopia has repeatedly stated that the dam will benefit its economy and will not harm the downstream countries.
The Nile River is a critical source of water for several African countries, with Egypt relying on it for about 97 percent of its water use.
Image Credit: Ethiopianhidase/Twitter