ADDIS ABABA– The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has special meaning and value for Ethiopians that go beyond its central role in realizing development, said Zerihun Abebe, a diplomat at The Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In an interview with FBC TV, the diplomat also said that GERD has an uplifted value among Ethiopians as it is believed to herald the end of dark days.
Ethiopia has 12 river basins with an annual runoff volume of 122 billion m3 of water of which 72 percent comes from Abay/Blue
Nile, Zerihun said adding out of the nine states of the country, six are also located in the Nile Basin. In addition, 45 to 50 million Ethiopians also reside in the Basin. “This shows the central role of GERD and the river Nile for Ethiopians.”
He also said that the country has the potential to produce 45 thousand MW of electric power, of this; Abay is expected to generate 30 thousand MW.
“The future of the basin lies in the shared utilization of the Nile waters. For this to happen, countries in the basin have a greater responsibility in pursuing cooperation regarding the issues,” he said. “Ethiopia has for long been advocating for shared utilization and cooperation.”
The Ethiopian Herald April 30/2012
BY MULATU BELACHEW
