The Egyptian Foreign Ministry has demanded an “urgent clarification” of Ethiopia after conflicting reports on whether it had begun to fill the reservoir of its giant dam on the Blue Nile River.
Ethiopian state television reported that the filling of the Ethiopian Great Renaissance Dam (GERD) began on Wednesday, a day after talks with Egypt and Sudan over the largest hydroelectric project in Africa stalled.
The two downstream countries have been seeking a legally binding agreement on the operation and filling of the dam before the last one begins.
Later on Wednesday, Seleshi Bekele, Ethiopia’s minister of water, irrigation and energy, denied that Addis Ababa was filling the reservoir, saying that the water levels behind its wall had naturally increased due to heavy seasonal rains.
“A lot of water is passing. There is heavy rain and the inflow is much greater than the outflow,” he told the DPA news agency.
Seleshi said the dam wall had risen to 560 meters compared to 525 meters last year, so the fill of the dam was “in accordance with the normal construction process,” according to the station. state FANA.
“The inflow to the reservoir due to heavy rains and runoff exceeded the outflow and created the natural buildup. This continues until the overflow is triggered soon,” he wrote on Twitter.
GERD has been a source of tension in the Nile River basin since Ethiopia began building it in 2011, with Egypt and Sudan concerned that it may restrict vital water supplies.
Addis Ababa has intended to start filling the dam reservoir this month, in the middle of the rainy season, although it has not said exactly when.
“The government has not explicitly stated whether the water receding behind the dam is due to the closure of the remaining outlets, or whether water is simply accumulating behind the nearly complete structure during the rainy season,” said William Davison , analyst at International Crisis Group (ICG).
Sudan’s rejection
The project has raised concerns in Egypt that the already limited waters of the Nile, on which its 100 million people heavily depend, will be restricted. The Blue Nile is a tributary of the Nile River, from which Egypt draws 90 percent of its fresh water.
Ahmed Soliman, a researcher at Chatham House, noted that Egypt’s water requirements already exceed availability.
“What we have in Egypt is a significant gap between the amount of water they produce and the amount of water they consume. And with a rapidly growing population of over 100 million, it points to this problem only getting worse,” Soliman told Al Jazeera
On Tuesday, talks between the three countries to regulate the dam’s water flow did not reach an agreement.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, told reporters that Guterres had urged the three countries to “seize the opportunity in the coming days to bridge the remaining differences and reach a mutually beneficial agreement for their towns. “
The dam, when completed, will have an installed capacity of 6,450 megawatts, more than double Ethiopia’s existing capacity, and is the centerpiece of the country’s commitment not only to be completely self-sufficient in electricity but also to become the largest African energy exporter.
It is being built about 15 km (nine miles) from the border with Sudan.
Sudan’s Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources said it was asked to investigate after satellite images appeared to show the fill of the reservoir.
“It was evident by flow meters at the al-Deim border station with Ethiopia that there is a drop in water levels, equivalent to 90 million cubic meters [three billion cubic feet] per day, confirming the closure of the gates of the Renaissance Dam, “he said in a statement.
Sudan rejects any unilateral action taken by either side while negotiating efforts continue, he said.
ICG’s Davison said the latest developments “should not distract Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt from their essential task: keep talking to find compromises in areas of disagreement.”
SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
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