ADDIS ABABA – On Thursday, Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy of Ethiopia on its statement announced that the most prominent technical issues on GERD are resolved through the negotiation after seven days talks on the first filling and annual operation of the Dam. However, the full completion of the negotiation will require resolution of legal issues, the statement noted.
Approached by The Ethiopian Herald, GERD’s National Panel of Experts Chairman and GERD’s Tripartite Technical Committee Member Engineer Gedeon Asfaw said the countries agreed on the first filling phases; the water volume to hold in the first two years of wet seasons.
Eng. Gedeon stated that the first filling phase of the dam and the volume of the water during the first filling will be 18.4 BMC water. In the initial year, the filling which will start by July 2020 is agreed to hold 4.9 BMC water, he added.
According to him, the three countries will further discuss on the issue of water operation during drought and prolonged drought, and to complete the negotiation with legal document.
Engineer Gedeon stated that the issue of water management during drought needs further discussion since it focuses on water sharing of River Nile.
Negotiators also agreed on the first filling phase will not cause drought and is not threat for the downstream countries, he said adding that the probability of drought during the first filling phase (the initial and the second year) is less than three per cent.
Egypt has also accepted about the filling of GERD during the wet season. So, Ethiopia announced its stance to continue negotiation at the same manner, starting filling of GERD will going parallel with the discussion which will start by July 2020, he added.
Eng. Gedeon also said that the unilateral statements and stances by Egypt and other countries on GERD talks will change nothing, since Ethiopia is following the right direction. There is no reason to wait for a final agreement to start the first filling and there is no any force to stop Ethiopia from filling its dam, he stressed.
Eng. Gedeoon told Addis Zemen News Paper that although they have made better discussions, Egypt is still opposing the start of the first filling and they raise the idea to leave the negotiation while Ethiopia shows its unwavering stance to start the filling by the current wet season.
If Egypt reaches to this decision of leaving the negotiation, it is its unilateral decision, but strictly wrong. It will hurt Egypt and it does not have any impact on Ethiopia, he added.
Member of the National Technical Committee and Addis Ababa University Water Resource Instructor Dr. Belete Berhanu on his part told Addis Zemen that the stance of Ethiopia is unwavering, and win-win for mutual benefit.
Dr. Belete also said that Egyptians are still politicizing GERD even after the prominent technical issues reached in agreement, which is unacceptable and totally wrong.
Addis Ababa University Water Engineering Instructor and Member of the National Technical Committee Dr. Yilma Seleshi also told Addis Zemen that although most technical issues on GERD are agreed, still Egyptians are politicizing GERD. The agenda of Egypt is not GERD’s technical issue, their goal seems to limit Ethiopia from using the Blue Nile in the future.
The Ethiopian Herald Jun 20,2020
BY DARGIE KAHSAY
