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Friday 15 Jan 2016 - 16:59 Makkah mean time-5-4-1437
Addis Ababa, (IINA) - Ethiopia has rejected Egypt’s proposal to redesign parts of the water outlets of the controversial Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD), which is being constructed along the Nile River, Sudan Tribune reported.
According to the state-run Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC), Egypt has sought an increase in the number of outlets at the massive dam under construction to allow more water flow to Egypt and Sudan.
Egypt fears the construction of the dam would severely curb its historical water share.
The 1929 and 1959 treaties agreed along with Sudan and Britain has given Egypt historic rights to the river further granting the latter rights to veto any project upstream.
During the recently held tripartite meeting between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan, Cairo has proposed an increase of water outlets at the dam from two to four to allow more water flow to lower riparian nations.
Ethiopia, however, rejected the proposal saying enough impact studies had already been conducted. “The decision of building two openings came following intensive studies, and Ethiopia does need to redesign the dam project” Bizuneh Tolcha, Public Relations Director at the Ethiopian Ministry of Water and Irrigation told EBC.
Egypt, whose people depend on the river for water sources, said that the $4.2 billion project will disrupt the flow of the Nile River, which could cause a national security threat.
However Ethiopia says the project never intended to harm Egyptians but is necessary for the country's development and should be taken as a symbol of cooperation between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia. Officials stressed that the primary goal of the dam is “combating poverty and realizing development and prosperity”.
Ethiopia, which intends to join middle-income countries by 2025, is investing billions of dollars on mega projects as part of the nation’s efforts to combat poverty and bring sustainable development.
Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam is 1,780m long and 145m high and will have the capacity to generate 6,000 megawatts of electricity.
The construction of the dam has been a source of dispute between Ethiopia and the lower riparian countries, particularly Egypt.
The dispute further threatened war between Ethiopia and Egypt after Cairo considered other options, including the military action, to halt the dam project which is being built some 25 kilometers away from the Sudanese border.
However, the three countries have later got themselves engaged in a number of tripartite talks to find a comprehensive agreement with the help of an international panel of experts and consultancy firms.
Last month, the ministers of irrigation and foreign affairs for Sudan, Egypt, and Ethiopia reached a deal on a range of issues regarding Ethiopia’s Nile dam project.
It is noteworthy that Ethiopia is the source of 85 percent of the Nile water resources, which most of Egypt’s over 80 million people depend on for water supply.
AG/IINA
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