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ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia
Ethiopia has prepared a comprehensive response to an Egyptian complaint about the filling of the Ethiopian Great Renaissance Dam (GERD), said a senior government official.
Seleshi Bekele, the water, irrigation and energy minister, briefed senior government officials on Monday on recent developments around the dam, the Ethiopian state news agency reported.
Egypt filed the complaint with the UN Security Council last week as part of a massive international campaign to prevent Ethiopia from filling the $ 5 billion hydroelectric dam on the Nile.
Egypt claims that the dam would reduce the flow of Nile waters downstream, while Ethiopia maintains that it needs the dam for national development and regional electrical interconnection.
Ethiopia started this mega dam project realizing that complying with electrical infrastructure is critical to a country’s sustainable development, Seleshi said.
The minister noted that the filling of the dam will be managed without causing significant damage to the downstream countries; and Ethiopia respects the fair and rational guideline for water management.
According to Seleshi, Ethiopia has prepared a comprehensive document that provides a sufficient response to Egypt’s complaint to the UN.
The downstream riparian countries have received sufficient reports and explanations from the start of the dam construction, he said, adding that “the questions asked not only contradict the country’s rights to development, but also lack a scientific basis.”
Even if Ethiopia has been holding talks with experts, ministers and even leaders of downstream countries since 2012, the negotiations have not led to an agreement.
The latest US-sponsored talks were cut short in February after Ethiopia said the United States sided with Egypt.
Currently, the civil work of the Ethiopian Renaissance dam has reached 87% and the total construction 73%.
Ethiopia launched the construction of the dam in 2011.
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