BY KIRAM TADESSE
The internet attributes contemporary Turkish writer, Mehmet Murat ildan as saying “for every drop of water you waste, you must know that somewhere on earth someone is desperately looking for a drop of water.” This saying holds true especially when looking into a long dated phenomena that tied the Nile riparian countries. After years of tedious talks over the fate and filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), there is little known where the current tripartite negotiations among Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt are meant to destine on the guidelines and rules for the filling and operation of the dam. Yet the Nile basin has surpassed a thought that ends inequitable pattern of water utilization.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia in its latest project review of the project announced the construction of “the GERD is progressing as planned” reaching over 78 percent. Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy, Seleshi Bekele said in a tweet that GERD construction progresses as scheduled to deliver clean energy for prosperity of Ethiopia and Africa. There is no denial that this situation could trigger fear among ordinary Egyptians, who have been suffering from Cairo’s long dated misinformation about the nature of Nile waters. In the face of the ongoing negotiations, reports claim there have been increasing concerns about Egypt’s water situation and “ways to ensure the citizen’s vital components at a reasonable cost and sufficient quantities.” This is a commendable move by Cairo to free itself from the perception of Nile water hegemony which can be attributed to longstanding political misconception, economic interests and nationalism.
Accordingly, these concerns are said to have given a major push to Cairo to own necessary techniques for water desalination. Experts in the field have also been urging Egypt to consider this as viable option to defeat its fear of future water scarcity. Recently, the Egyptian government has been reported for taking “unprecedented interest” in seawater desalination. According to media reports, Egypt has used Russian expertise to promote the local production of seawater desalination. Egypt took water desalination as most important strategic options to face scarcity of water and already begun its implementation which will be completed by 2050. According to Egypt Desalination Research Center of Excellence Director, Houssam Shawky, who was quoted by Al-Monitor as saying that the country’s water treatment and desalination strategy is ambitious for drinking water consumption with the gradual shift in dependence on desalinated water in coastal and remote areas, as well as in touristic areas.
A sustainability review published at Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute says from the three water supply sources in Egypt, including rainfall and groundwater, the Nile takes 95 percent giving 55.5 billion cubic-meters per year. While exploring new options of non-conventional water resources to narrow the gap between water supply and demand become urgency, therefore water desalination is considered as an indispensable industry for the most of the Arab countries. In the last five decades, the number and capacities of desalination plants have increased dramatically in the Gulf States. However, according to research findings, many countries in Middle East and North Africa are facing water scarcity due to negative impacts of climate change directly affecting their agriculture sector. Unlike Ethiopia, Egypt is surrounded by seas in north and east. Studies say almost all available conventional water resources in Egypt mainly represented by the Nile water have been exhausted and hence calling for further development measures that require review of current water demands.
As per the aforementioned strategy, Egypt has targeted to implement a number of seawater desalination plants. In 2019 the Egyptian government has approved a loan agreement amounting to about 49.5 million USD with the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development for a project to establish four seawater desalination stations in the south Sinai governorate. The project is expected to be launched at the end of 2021 and will be completed within a year and a half, the report said. Furthermore, according to Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly’s speech to the parliament in October 2020, government is implementing several projects that set “strategy water vision 2037” at a cost of about 57.3 billion USD. He said this includes a shift to modern irrigation in agriculture, rationalization of canals and drains, treatment of wastewater, and expansion of desalination plants for seawater or groundwater.
Cairo’s establishments have made it clear time and again that the GERD crisis concerns them and have urged each other to do their best; same is true for Ethiopia and its people. Yet trading blames for failing to deliver an agreed outcome on the negotiations serves no good to neither of the parties involved. However, scientific approaches such as installation of seawater desalination plants can help Cairo to let go off old grips that might have attributed to rigidity over the GERD negotiations. It looks fair to assume that more Nile basin countries will likely come to engage in myopic dispute with each other as demand for fresh water keeps on rising. And Egypt will rather be thankful for taking the “unprecedented measure” of more investment on seawater desalination.
The Ethiopian Herald February 11/2021
