Ethiopia’s proposed dam project on the River Nile, has hit yet another barrier, even as ministers from Ethiopia and Egypt held talks in Sudan to sort out the matter. However, the meeting did not arrive at any concrete solution. In a note dispatched to diplomats in the recent past, Egypt says Ethiopia has “summarily rejected” its plan for operating the giant dam the East African nation is building on the Nile. Egypt also dubbed Ethiopia’s own proposal as “unfair and inequitable”. The US $4 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) was announced in 2011 and is designed for Ethiopia becoming Africa’s biggest power exporter, generating more than 6,000 megawatts. Egypt which draws 90% of its fresh water from the Nile, considers the project as an existential threat. The differences arose over the annual flow of water that should be guaranteed to Egypt and how to manage flows during water scarcity times. Egypt claims that it shared its proposal for filling and operating the dam with Ethiopia and Sudan on July 31 and Aug. 1, inviting both countries for a meeting of foreign and water ministers. However, Egypt, claims that Ethiopia summarily rejected Egypt’s proposal and declined to attend the six-party meeting.
Ethiopia had alternatively proposed a meeting of water ministers to discuss a proposal that included an Ethiopian plan. In January, Ethiopia’s water and energy minister said that following construction delays, the dam might start generating electricity by the end of 2020 and be fully operational by 2022. The dam promises economic benefits for Ethiopia and Sudan. But Egypt fears it would restrict already over stretched supplies from the Nile. It may be noted that Nile is its major source for drinking water, agriculture and industry. Viewed from each other’s perspectives, there are merits in their respective stand. The question now boils down to how far both countries can accommodate each other. As analysts put it here is the classic case of one man’s food is the others poison. It is for both countries to decide how far and how much they can bend to accommodate each other.
