Ethiopia has long been waiting to live up to its vast yet untapped water potential. Though some actors use the term to pull the nation down from using its natural water resources, the country still has potential when it comes to achieving set objectives. When Ethiopia commits itself to using its resources, it is obvious that there will be no force to stop it from doing it and again there will always be pressure. And, that is at least what happened in the last decade when the country started a grand dam in Abbay River.
Fortunately, the country is blessed with both manpower and natural resources. Utilizing once natural resources is the right of the country, and Ethiopia has full power to use its resources. Utilizing the Blue Nile or the Abbay River is Ethiopia’s choice, but there is no option. Having more than 120 million people, Ethiopia must work on the resources on hand.
When Ethiopia announced the news of the inception of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) back in 2011, the country encountered a number of pressures from various directions. The country stated boldly that, the sole reason for constructing the dam is not about affecting the lower riparian; rather it is to light up its people who lead their life in the dark.
The GERD is believed to be a means for lifting millions of people out of poverty providing access to electricity to more than 60 million Ethiopians and providing affordable electricity to the service, industrial, and agriculture economic sectors.
The Abbay Dam which is located in Ethiopia- Sudan border is storing more than 74 billion MC water. The dam will benefit Ethiopia and the two downstream riparian nations, Sudan and Egypt, especially in the times of drought. It will also regulate the water flow and support the downstream riparian countries to manage the resource effectively.
Besides, it is important to be aware that the dam will be one of the mechanisms for reducing and tackling human’s worst challenge, climate change. The dam will further capture 90% of the sediment protecting irrigation canals and equipment from damages caused by sedimentation.
Again, GERD will support the water flow arriving at the High Aswan Dam (HAD) of Egypt. With GERD operating upstream, average annual HAD evaporation losses will be tremendously reduced. Due to regulated and increased flows a longer period of navigation on the Nile River will be possible.
On top of that, with its current hydroelectric power, Ethiopia has also become one of the power suppliers in the Horn as the nation has recently started to sell its electric power to neighboring nations such as Kenya, Sudan, and Djibouti. Working on implementing a green economy, Ethiopia, nowadays, is using electricity as one of income income-generating ways. When the dam is fully completed, it will definitely increase Ethiopia’s electric power supply and the powerhouse in East Africa.
At some point, in the case of Sudan, the downstream nation, Ethiopia has not received any payment for its electric power supply services due to the ongoing war in Sudan. Conversely, Ethiopia is waiting for the government of Sudan patiently to pay its bill without stopping the service rather than reducing it. Such an act of partnership has great implications for regional integration and collective growth.
When the nation determines to use its resources, some historic enemies of the country start to work to abort the mission. Such actions were seen when Ethiopia declared to build its mega project on the Abbay River. Understanding the upcoming pressures, the government of Ethiopia, back then, determined to finance the dam only by Ethiopians from all over the world. It is known that if Ethiopia asked any international financial organizations for any financial support, it would have no chance of receiving it. In fact, the dam took years behind its commission, but the people and government of Ethiopia are still showing their unwavering commitment to its completion.
Accordingly, Ethiopia is one of the powerhouse and resource centers in the Horn of Africa as the country has been involved in major regional actions. On the other hand, some actors who do not want to see Ethiopia be successful and developed are working day and night to tarnish the nation’s popularity.
Those enemies of Ethiopia have left no stone unturned to stop the country from its success. The downstream nations, especially Egypt have gone too far to stop Ethiopia from the construction as its officials certainly know that the dam will cause no harm to the people of Egypt. They used the issue for their political leverage. They even warned Ethiopia that they could wage a war.
The government of Egypt reportedly tried to pay a huge sum of money to some government officials in the United States of America to push hard on Ethiopia. The case which was reported to say 10 million USD was paid for Donald Trump, former US president from the government of Egypt so that the US would back Egypt to stop Ethiopia.
Similarly, the downstream nations had also tried to bring the issue to other blocs, like the Arab League which is stirred by Egypt. On the other hand, as the pioneer member of the African Union, Ethiopia believes that African problems should be resolved by African solutions, and called for the African Union to mediate any issue concerning the Abbay Dam. This shows that some actors do not even trust the AU and its power to settle things in the continent.
In addition, those enemies of Ethiopia have been doing everything to disturb the country and got involved in any scenario that negatively affects Ethiopia. A simple example might be the recent disagreement between Ethiopia and Somalia when countries like Egypt started to act as a shield for Somalia without any sacrifice like the Ethiopians did to their neighbors.
With all the bumpy roads that Ethiopia has been going through, the country has never stopped recording success regarding the dam. According to the official Prime Minister Office social media page, on Saturday, the 3rd and 4th turbines of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam are being operational.
PM office page stated that more good news has emerged from Guba, where the dam is located, for the lower Abbay basin countries. Along with the uninterrupted flow of the river, the dam’s spillways have been opened, releasing an additional 2,800 cubic meters of water per second.
“The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) plays a crucial role in managing water flow, mitigating flood risks, and ensuring that downstream nations receive a steady supply of water, particularly during droughts. This carefully regulated release will significantly enhance agricultural productivity, boost power generation, and improve resource utilization throughout the region.”
To wrap up the idea, there is a saying: ‘Barking dogs that bark for the sake of straining the leash are nothing but a nuisance.’ Likewise, Ethiopia walks the talk regarding the dam amidst the challenges that its historic enemies creating.
BY DANIEL ALEMAYEHU
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 27 AUGUST 2024
