GERD filling and cooperation to end Nile feud
Fekadu W.
The long-awaited tri-lateral meeting on the impact assessment of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam( GERD) on the Nile downstream countries has started between Ethiopia, Sudan and Ethiopia in Khartoum, on April 4, 2018 . The meeting had also continued at the level of Foreign Affairs and Water Resources Ministers of the three countries until April 5, 2018.
This meeting is taking place at critical juncture when the eastern Nile cooperation has been strengthening. It could be said that the Nile Water Basin Initiative (NBI) is advancing in addressing common interests and underscoring common future of the Nile Riparian countries; this does not mean that there are no challenges amid efforts being exerted to hammer out problems.
Earlier, Ethiopian has released its plan for filling the reservoir of the GERD, but Cairo has been balking due to technical and impact studies that do not become fruitful at the desired level. So far, Ethiopia has officially disclosed its plan to fill the GERD and it said it will not refrain from providing information and disclosing its plan as part of its endeavor to enhance transparency, cooperation, breaking the Nile stalemate and abolishing the enigmatic culture entrenched on Nile.
Currently, Ethiopia has reaffirmed its stance on its plan for filling the reservoir. It said it remains committed to the Declaration of Principles on the GERD, which is the only official document governing Ethiopia’s relationship with Sudan and Egypt on this issue of GERD(the declaration, signed in March 2015, states, “The three countries, in the spirit of cooperation, will utilize the final outcomes of the joint studies, to be conducted as per the recommendations of the International Panel of Experts Report and agreed upon by the TNC).
Similarly, it is worth reckoning that Ethiopia had recently celebrated the 7th year of commencement of the GERD. It was started in April 2011 at cost of about 4.7 billion USD. The Dam will be Africa’s largest structure on Nile, upon completion with a total volume of 74 billion cubic meters.
The assistance of people has continued in an intensified manner and GERD is gathering fresh momentum for completion as it is one of those mega projects desperately needed to alleviate poverty. The construction of GERD has reached close to 65 percent. It has a capacity to generate 6,450 MW up on finalization. To this end, currently, 11,000 people are working on it, of whom 300 are foreigners. Construction activities have been undertaken round the clock and the Project is expected commence power generation activities in this year.
Ethiopians have made the issue of GERD as their number one agenda and its finalization will help fulfill country’s economic ambitions. The Project is also part of poverty alleviation endeavor of the country by generating huge amount of electricity and , when complete, more than 50 percent of the electricity will be sold to the Nile riparian countries and other neighbors of Ethiopia.
Currently, the Dam has become a flag carrier project and it is being financed by the contribution of the people of Ethiopia. Being a national project, the Dam has transcended temporary agenda of politics, time and place and it has become corner stone of consensus, pride of citizens and emblem of poverty alleviation(being realized with the solidified effort of people, it has unified all people for noble cause: renaissance of the country).
Needless to mention, the Blue Nile, otherwise known as Abay River in Ethiopia, is one of the major tributaries of the rivers flowing into Sudan and Egypt. The Blue Nile is known to be the longest river in Africa and starts its journey from Lake Tana, in Ethiopia. It flows from the highlands of Ethiopia collecting on its way bigger and smaller tributaries and carrying with it the most fertile soil, washed during the rainy season, from Ethiopia to Egypt.
Blue Nile is joined by affluent and exotic rivers from Ethiopia that turn out mighty and over run their banks during the rainy season. These tributaries of Blue Nile in Ethiopia include Muger, Gudder, Beshilo, Fincha, Dedesa and Dabus. These rivers empty their eroded content in to the Blue Nile and make it swell during the rainy season of Ethiopia, usually from June to August.
Blue Nile merges with White Nile in Khartoum, which hails from Lake Victoria, in Uganda and continues its journey to Egypt and beyond. It is a common knowledge that while the White Nile starts in other parts of East Africa, the Blue Nile pours out of the Ethiopian highlands.
Therefore, it is safe to say that the Blue Nile is nature’s gift to Ethiopia. According to the principles of national sovereignty, Ethiopia has the right to use its natural resources for development and poverty alleviation; exploiting natural resources in a reasonable and sustainable manner is acceptable by all accounts.
Indeed, the stark reality is that Abay or Blue Nile is number one endowment of Ethiopia and Ethiopia has substantial right to use its natural resources(matter of fact, these days Ethiopians are very much aware of their inviolable rights to use Nile and they are committed to defend their sovereign right).
However, earlier, driven by their selfish interest, three European powers of the day, namely Britain, France and Italy had conspired to deny Ethiopia its sovereign rights over the use of Blue Nile in favor of Egypt (seemingly playing off A against B). Thus, these colonial powers had diabolically sowed incessant conflict between Ethiopia and Egypt over the use of Abay River to this day.
For instance, due to shrewd support of colonizers for many decades, Egypt used the Blue Nile to produce foods, to construct dams, and to support building a modern industry, while Ethiopia experienced famine due to lack of water to cultivate its land, and remain non-industrialized(because of lack of supply of electric power).
The absence of a legally binding treaty between Egypt and Ethiopia, recognized and respected by the international community, combined with the European interference in pursuit of their own self-interest, has been and continues to be the major cause for the persistence of tension between the two countries to this day.
Despite all the complicated challenges, the GERD has become a game changer and colossal structure ever built on Nile. Needless to say, GERD has been under construction since 2011, in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia, about 20 kms east of the Sudan border. The Dam can generate 6,450 MW, and it will be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa and the 7th largest in the world.
GERD is a reflection of Ethiopian renaissance and it is estimated that a quarter of a million people had visited it during the last seven years. Similarly, government and private employees, more than 400 international media, and diplomatic missions including Egypt and Sudan had also visited the dam. Hence, the visits of citizens have been serving as a driving force to accelerate the construction endeavor, which is being undertaken day and night.
So far, the work is going well and will soon benefit Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia. As a balance statute on the Nile, the construction of GERD has got the attention of all Nile Riparian countries and the international community as well, since its inception. Ethiopia is firmly stating that the issue of GERD and Nile is multilateral issue and it should be discussed by Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt (without any arbiter, mediator and observer being invited from outside, like World Bank as proposed by Egypt earlier).
As a best tool to enhance national aspiration of walking on greater heights, the GERD has started to tackle the complicated and imbalanced water politics of the Nile Basin that has been entrenched since the titular dubbing of ‘’Egypt is the gift of the Nile’’ by imprudent individuals who shied away from recognizing Ethiopia as the first born of Nile and contributor of over 87 percent of the Nile waters(here, it is worth remembering the Biblical quote, the name of the third river is Gihon, Abay-Nile, that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia).
However, the history of Ethio-Egyptian relation is charged with imperceptible feud and complications (witnessed by Mursi and his allies conspiring against Ethiopia in an openly televised program; whatever the case, it is not difficult to imagine that Egypt waits to trample on Ethiopia when the time permits).
Despite this very animosity of Egypt, finalization of the GERD is expected to benefit all countries and enhance regional integration through cross- border electrification. And as a remarkable structure on Nile, the GERD will help close the old saga of rivalry and open a new chapter of cooperation over Nile. It will and is also coercing many Nile riparian countries for discussion and seek joint solutions for the sake of common benefit.
Until now, Ethiopia has been calling stakeholders and partners to find win-win solution and dispel the unreasonable doubt of downstream countries that the say the GERD may cause serious damage to their interest. Indubitably, nation will keep on its tireless effort to enhance Nile cooperation, finalize construction of the GERD and employ it for development. And nation’s unflinching stance and audible call to mutual benefit and equitable use of Nile will continue until finalization of GERD.