BY GEZAHEGNE GEBREMESKEL
Egyptian hydro-politicians are very cunning. The Amharic-Jewish word ‘nekash’ which means that bites typically attributed to a viper best characterizes Egyptian politicians. Ethiopia’s instability is externally instigated by Egyptians. The so-called Helsinki draft is designed by Egyptians, a lower riparian country through ‘greasing of palms’ and lobbying without the full participation of upper riparian nations.
Now, let us debunk how twisted and weird Egyptians are in defining the word equity. According to S. Ahmed an Egyptian hydro politician, he wrote equity of distribution as the governing factor among riparian nations. Right after this, he distorts the term equity as if it does not mean equal distribution (‘equal share of the volume of water’) and lists down phony and irrational factors thought that Egypt will nullify the natural rights of Upper Riparian East African Nations. The impermissible and irrational Helsinki rule crafted in favor of Egypt is presented as follows.
1. The topography of the basin, in particular, the size of the river’s drainage area in each riparian state
Comment: What has geomorphologic set up (topography) has to do with sharing a volume of water. Egypt and Sudan have plain lands while East African countries have elevated terrains. The plain terrain has never contributed a drop of water to the Nile to claim a share. Giving special emphasis on drainage basin area, Ethiopia has the Tekezze basin, the Blue Nile basin, Baro-Akobo-Gilo basins; with the catchment area of nearly a third of the country’s area contributing 86 percent of the entire Nile’s water.
Sahara desert steals, but never contributes water. Does it mean that Ethiopia should take the lion’s share? If that is so, that is a judicious suggestion. But the motive of Egyptians is not that. Drainage basin means from the territory where rivers drains water out. When Egyptians insist on topography of the drainage area, they intend to convince you that topographically they are in lowlands and they think that the total area of Sudan Egypt surpasses the other riparian nations, thus they want to take the entire water at best or the lions share at least.
2. The climatic conditions affecting the basin in general
Comment: Ethiopia has been losing million human, bovine and equine population ascribed to recurrent drought and erratic climatic conditions. The same scourge prevails in other East African nations like Kenya, where pastoralists recurrently lose their herds, face agricultural failures, hippos skins crack due to exposure to ultraviolet radiation as Tana River loses its water during dry spells. As you can see, all East African states are susceptible to dry spell episodes. What does it mean when Egyptian state that they are living in a desert climate, thus claim the whole Nile water. Is this a request from a sane or an insane politician?
3. The Precedence about past utilization of the waters of the basin, up to the present day using
This rule is the reflection of the Exclusionary Possessive Approach which is egoistic and a zero sum game of the falcons. The Egyptians are nostalgic of the past colonial times while the East Africans are lethargic at the same score of the past colonial periods.
Egypt intends to rank top in the priority list in the exclusive possessive ownership under the pretext of precedence about past and current utilization rule does not conform to the will of nations of the 21st century. Demand changes in due course of time. Let bygones be bygones, Water resource is invaluable. It is the power house of growth and development. Economic muscle augments military muscles, when both are attained, you can strike the head of a ‘nekash’ that wants to bite you.
4. The Economic and Social needs of each basin state
East Africa is a very capricious region. Development of transport network, economic ties, the discovery of oil almost in the majority of member states, industrialization, share of a common geopolitical concern through the IGAD, high population growth that requires hydroelectric power for the industries, illumination of highly urbanizing centers, energy for home electrical appliances, potable water demands, mechanized irrigated agriculture to feed the ever increasing population, are in the grand strategic plans and execution of the countries.
As Egyptian have dreams for the sustained development of their country, in the same token, East African countries have grand strategic plans to improve the wellbeing of their peoples, and thus East African countries do not require the permission of any external entity.
5. The Population Factor
When this rule was drafted in fact, Egypt had had the largest population amongst Nile Riparian Nations. Currently, however, Ethiopia had already surpassed Egypt. Ethiopia currently has 112 million or more people. The population of East African nations has been increasing by leaps and bounds that has created a generation that demands the right of usage of its resources and that denounces the unjust colonial rules of the past.
It is a generation with a Pan African sentiment that recognizes an African Nile not an Arab Nile. It is a generation that wants to be well fed, well educated and well informed. East Africans are well aware that, irrigated mechanized agriculture with high yield insures food security for an increasing population.
Most East African countries have been heading towards irrigated agriculture and had already been abandoning rain fed agriculture. This is melancholic news for Egypt. It is the blessing of God to be endowed with water resource like the Upper Riparian nations. The population factor was thought by the Egyptians that it will be for their best interest to claim the whole Nile Water. This is an irrational criterion.
6. The comparative costs of alternative means of satisfying the economic and social needs of each basin state
This is a very cunning rule that deflects your attention from the Nile and drives you to focus on something else. It is a very delusional rule. It is not up to an external advice what resource by what means and what is expedient should be the choice of each Riparian Nation. East African nations have sovereign right to choose their economic and social affairs and they are not supposed to be instructed by any external entity or an insidious rule that inhibits their developmental course. This rule is the reflection of the Exclusionary Possessive Approach. This rule is tantamount to Egyptian saying to Upper Riparian nations leave Nile exclusively for us and focus on other optional sources. This rule is the “clever ploy” of the Egyptians.
7. The availability of other water resources to each basin state
This is tantamount to for instance Ethiopia asking Egyptian’s oil resource to stop utilizing and shift to the use of solar cells within its desert areas. What would be the feeling of the Egyptian people? They will say why does Ethiopia interfere in Egyptian resources? So, in the same token what is wrong if Ethiopia intends to uses its riverine resource for its livelihood and economic development, why do the Egyptian cannot rationally see such symmetrical situation? The Nubian Sand stone as an aquifer amasses 6, 000, 000 m3 of groundwater potential and why don’t they utilize that? The rule that states the availability of other water resource is not a resource within their jurisdiction thus lacks neither rhyme nor reason.
8. The avoidance of undue waste and unnecessary damage on the other riparian state
If a country expects the good willingness of others, it must first scrutinize its own attitude towards others. Egyptians are tenacious of owning the Nile which they know it very well from the bottom of their viscera that it is not theirs’. It must be understood that there is no rule in the so-called International Law that prohibits an Upper Riparian Nation from the utilization of the water resource for the generation of Hydro electric power, potable needs or irrigated agriculture, yet shall be considerate about the vested interest of Lower Riparian Nations.
The Upper Riparian Nation shall not be inadvertent to the equitable apportionment of the transit river and must pay due respect to the alienable right of the Lower Riparian nations, otherwise leads to existential angst. Let us scrutinize the plausible scenarios that Egypt would take if its politicians were stiff necked and pursue the Exclusionary Possessive Approach. To conclude, Ethiopia has been pursuing the equitable share of the Nile which is justifiable.
All the proxy war Egypt has been waging is for the exclusionary possessive approach of the Nile. That is not permissible! Ethiopia has inalienable natural right to use not only the Blue Nile, but the Tekezze, Baro, Akobo and Gilo rivers. Egypt through a Trans-Saharan Tunnel had transported Nile water to the Darfur Region of Sudan where water is very scarce. The Darfur Region has been rebellious against the Government of Sudan. The principal strategic plan of Egypt is to appease Sudan not to remain neutral between Egypt and Ethiopia and make it an ally of Egypt to get access to confront Ethiopia.
Egypt had also built six tunnels to transport Nile Water to Israel. This again is to align Israel against Ethiopia. Egypt is the number one enemy of Israel and Ethiopia at the same time. The main purpose of the Atomic station building project at El Dabaa seemingly for peaceful purpose, but it is the long time ambition to deface Israel and Ethiopia. Both the Ethiopian security and Mossad must work in close ties to deter these ill motivated ambitions of the Egyptians. They can build solar cells in their vast Sahara; moreover the Aswan supplies enough power. Their stealthy ambition is to be a nuclear power. If Egyptians do not refrain from messing in the internal affairs of Ethiopia, ‘Repurposing of west draining rives’ will be the best political card.
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald.
The Ethiopian Herald 19 January 2021
