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Egypt launches mega projects to avoid crisis of filling Ethiopia dam

July 22, 2020 at 9:45 am

A worker goes down a construction ladder at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in Ethiopia, on 26 December 2019 [EDUARDO SOTERAS/AFP/Getty Images]

Egyptian authorities are planning to launch mega projects to avoid negative consequences of Ethiopia filling the reservoir of its new dam, RT reported yesterday.

According to the spokesman of the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, Mohammed El Sebaei, the planned projects would mainly be based on the rationalisation of using water.

He said that the Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Mohamed Abdel Aty, and the Housing Minister, Assem El Gazzar, met and discussed the issue of expanding desalination plants as part of the national strategy of water 2037.

In an interview with MBC Egypt 2 TV, El Sebaei said: “The Nile provides 97 per cent of Egyptian water resources,” noting that Egypt is seeking to carry out projects to improve managing the water resources.

READ: Egypt must accept that the Nile belongs to Ethiopia and 8 other African states 

Providing new equipment to help decrease household water consumption are parts of the planned projects.

Last week an Ethiopian official said authorities had started filling the reservoir of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), however this was denied days later.

The GERD’s construction is expected to finish by 2023 and the hydroelectric dam will produce 6,475 megawatts for Ethiopia’s domestic and industrial use, as well as for export to neighbouring countries.

Egypt has said the dam will affect its annual share of the Nile’s water, amounting to 55.5 billion cubic metres.

Never-ending fight between Egypt/Ethiopia and Sudan over the Renaissance Dam - Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]

Never-ending fight between Egypt/Ethiopia and Sudan over the Renaissance Dam – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]