• “water security” is not main agenda, it is to delay dam progress: ENTRO Chief
Egypt has the bulk of share, 55,000 billion cubic meters of water, from the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System that has a volume reaching 155,000 billion cubic meters. If Egypt uses 55 billion cubic meters, per its claim from Nile, of this water annually, it will get abundant water for 1000 years, Fekiahmed Negash, Eastern Nile Technical Regional Office (ENTRO) General Manager told The Ethiopian Herald yesterday.
So called “water security” is not the main agenda of Egyptian politicians but their main agenda is to delay the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). He recommended that Ethiopia should return to the negotiating table to secure all its interests in line with the principles of not causing significant harm on downstream countries.
The negotiation fails to bring the desired goal now and then seeing that priority is given to the national interest of Egypt turning a deaf ear to the major truth regarding the Nile River, according to him. “For the love of slowing down the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Egypt comes up with the same agenda time after time and as a result, the negotiation between the two countries ends up missing the intended target,” he added.
To the best of my knowledge, unless Ethiopia comes to the negotiation table by designing its agenda, the country’s national interest on the dam will be in the balance without a shred of a doubt. Furthermore, as might be expected, the systematic move of Egypt remains a challenge to mediators themselves. He kept on saying, “When it comes to the dam, Ethiopia should be able to design unwavering agenda regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and set in motion getting itself involved in the negotiation table.
Above and beyond, the country does not have to sit at the negotiation table making use of agendas designed by other parties for materializing their dreams,” In a similar vein, Ethiopia should be able to discuss the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam giving priority to the national interest of the country. Egypt possesses water reservoirs that can serve for 1000 years.
It is to be recalled that following the statement of the United States Department of the Treasury, Egypt and Ethiopia are at odds over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). This being the case, Ethiopia has tentatively postponed its involvement over the filling and operation of the GERD requesting additional time to deliberate on the draft agreement.
The Ethiopian Herald April 10/2020
BY ADDISALEM MULAT
