Egypt-Ethiopia row: The trouble over a giant Nile dam

bbc ^ | 13 January 2020 | Basillioh Mutahi

[BenLurkin]

,,,Grand Renaissance Dam, which Ethiopia is building, will be Africa's biggest hydroelectric power plant.

Its construction began in 2011 on the Blue Nile tributary in the northern Ethiopia highlands, from where 85% of the Nile's waters flow.

However, the mega dam has caused a row between Egypt and Ethiopia, with Sudan caught in between, which some fear could lead to war...

At the centre of the dispute are plans to fill up the mega dam as Egypt fears the project will allow Ethiopia to control the flow of Africa's longest river.

Hydroelectric power stations do not consume water, but the speed with which Ethiopia fills up the dam's reservoir will affect the flow downstream.

The longer it takes to fill the reservoir, which is going to be bigger than Greater London with a total capacity of 74 billion cubic metres, the less impact there will be on the level of the river.

Ethiopia wants to do it in six years.

But Egypt has proposed a longer period - so that the level of the river does not dramatically drop, especially in the initial phase of filling the reservoir.

Egypt relies on the Nile for 90% of its water. It has historically asserted that having a stable flow of the Nile waters is a matter of survival in a country where water is scarce.

A 1929 treaty (and a subsequent one in 1959) gave Egypt and Sudan rights to nearly all of the Nile waters. The colonial-era document also gave Egypt veto powers over any projects by upstream countries that would affect its share of the waters.

Neither agreement made any allowance for the water needs of the other riparian states that were not parties to the deal, including Ethiopia, whose Blue Nile contributes much of the river waters.

[Red Badger]

So, basically an argument over the fill up timeline, not the dam itself..................

[BobL]

“So, basically an argument over the fill up timeline, not the dam itself.”

Not at this point as the surrounding land isn’t practical for farming. But there is related talk about more dams upstream, and using that water.

This could get very ugly unless Egypt can get fresh water some other way, such as desalinization.

[Red Badger]

Yeah, Egypt might turn into a desert.....................

[BobL]

“Yeah, Egypt might turn into a desert.”

Yep. Egypt has over 100 million people. Libya (before Skunk Cabbage made a mess of the country), had 6 million people. Difference being the Nile. I don’t know how well Egypt can project force, but they may be forced to nuke the dam, once they have that capability.

[Boogieman]

Let ‘em fight it out. Maybe Ethiopia wins and forces Egypt to stop oppressing the Copts while they are at it.

[Red Badger]

Egypt will survive just fine. God said so.......................

[far sider]

Article from 2020. Any update? (Chinese money I presume.)

[SuperLuminal]

Definitely an issue worth Egypt going to war over...

The dam, its filling & use, will directly control Egypt’s ability to feed its citizens...

[Texan4Life]

Wars about Water... Since time immemorial...

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Ethiopian_Renaissance_Dam