To present counter proposal
ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia has rejected Egypt’s proposal for the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) claiming it is unnecessary and harmful to Ethiopia’s interest, said Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Electricity.
The Ministry is also set to present a counter proposal on the options and strategies for filling the Dam’s reservoir in October to the Neutral Scientific Research Committee (NSRC) of GERD.
Briefing journalists, Minister of Water, Irrigation and Electricity, Seleshi Bekele said that Egypt has prepared and presented a proposal on the filling of the dam during a dialogue between the tripartite ministers at Cairo on last Sunday.
However, the three countries agreed that Ethiopia and Sudan will also present their proposals to the NSRC in October. Then after, water ministers of the three countries will hold dialogue for two days on the proposal, he said.
Egypt’s proposal states that the filling of the Dam should take seven years and Ethiopia should release 40 billion cubic meters of water annually when the Aswan Dam’s water is below 165 meters.
This is unfair as “we don’t know about Egypt’s utilization of the water around the Aswan Dam” the minister said adding “We also have demands regarding our future development.”
According to Seleshi, in addition, Egypt’s new proposal violates the principle of the Nile Waters Treaty signed earlier between the three countries. But the issue will be solved based on the decision of technical committee, he noted.
“The filling of the Dam is not a political issue; rather it is a technical one. Hence, it will be undertaken as per scientific recommendations,” he added.
The Ethiopian Herald Sept 19/2019
BY TSEGAYE TILAHUN
