As Ethiopia marks the 9th anniversary of the construction commencement of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), it is still calling for the equitable utilization of the Nile waters among riparian countries.
For Ethiopia, accessing and utilizing its water resources is not a matter of choice, but an imperative of continued existence.
Being a country of 112 million, Ethiopia contributes the lion’s share of the Nile waters, with its three tributaries-the Blue Nile, Sobat, and Atbara-carrying about 86 percent of the total runoff in the Nile.
With a growing but otherwise resource-poor economy, Ethiopia is keen to develop its vast potential for hydropower generation in the Nile Basin to become a regional hub for electric power expert.
The five billion USD GERD, the largest hydroelectric dam in Africa, is a part of that ambition. The Dam will have paramount economic value to Ethiopia, doubling the country’s electricity generation capacity. In addition, it is also set to facilitate the export of power to the country’s regional neighbors including Sudan, South Sudan, Djibouti, Kenya, and potentially Egypt.
In an article published on The Ethiopian Herald, Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy, Dr. Engineer Seleshi Bekele said GERD is a matter of survival for the nation that has about 55 percent or 60 million without access to electricity, marred with deprivation, deep rooted poverty, low productivity due to lack of energy and very low social and environmental development as a result lack of energy.
True, the Nile is as important to Ethiopia as it is to Egypt and Sudan, as well as other Nile Basin countries, and it is a source of livelihood and economic development for the Ethiopian population of over 110 million people.
Paradoxically, irrespective of individual countries sovereign right, the colonial era and postcolonial agreements on the Nile, which Ethiopia is not party to any of them, apportion the full water of the Nile flow among Egypt and Sudan, leaving zero water allocation to the upstream water source countries including not only Ethiopia but also Eritrea, Burundi, DR Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
On the other hand, Ethiopia has been and is always fair to its neighbors. On the Nile questions, it has been very accommodative and looking for equity and win-win options. Ethiopia has never egoistically said the entire flow of water generated from its territory fully belongs to it.
Rather, it has repeatedly proclaimed that the Nile is a shared resource and its utilization and management need to be determined according to international principles and laws.
Contrary to this, Egypt’s stance of obsolete philosophy of ‘Nile belongs to Egypt in its entirety’ is not only unfounded but a futile and inconsiderate belief that does not fit to the 21st century of mutual co-existence among nations.
Not only Ethiopia, but all upstream countries throughout the Nile discourse have only claimed their fair share with necessary precaution that does not significantly harm the people of Sudan and Egypt.
Equitable and reasonable utilization is a core principle in the distribution of water resources. In addition, Ethiopia believes the river Nile should be a major source of cooperation than conflict. In this regard, the ‘principle-based’ stance of Sudan on the GERD talks should be admired. Egypt should also be committed to the principle of fair use concerning the river Nile and Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
The Ethiopian Herald April 2/2020
