Africa
Ethiopia challenges Egypt and begins huge dam
March 30, 2011 · 30 Comments
- Claims Egypt is blocking dam funding
- Ethiopia says resolve at “point of no return”
- Analysts fear world’s first war over water
By Barry Malone
ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia on Wednesday said it planned to build a huge dam on the Nile despite a long-running row with Egypt over use of the river and concern the dispute may spark a war.
The nine countries through which the river passes have for more than a decade been locked in often bitter talks to renegotiate colonial-era treaties that gave Egypt and Sudan the lion’s share of the river’s waters.
However, six of the nine upstream countries — Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi — have signed a new deal stripping Egypt of its veto and agreeing to renegotiate how much water each country is entitled to.
“The Great Nile dam construction is scheduled to commence presently near the Ethio-Sudan border,” Water and Energy Minister Alemayehu Tegenu told a news conference. “From this dam alone, Ethiopia expects to generate 5,250MW.”
The Horn of Africa nation aims to produce 15,000 megawatts (MW) of power within 10 years, part of a plan to spend $12 billion over 25 years to improve the country’s power-generating capability.
Alemayehu said Ethiopia would be forced to finance the $4.78 billion dam from its own coffers and from the sale of government bonds because Egypt was pressuring donor countries and international lenders not to fund its dam projects.
POINT OF NO RETURN
“Those bent on deterring the development of the Nile have not yet changed their obstructionist ways. Alas, Ethiopia’s resolve has now reached a point of no return,” Alemayehu said.
He said tenders for consultancy contracts would soon be open to international bidders and that Ethiopian engineers would start work soon on the dam, expected to take 44 months to complete.
In November, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told Reuters that Egypt was backing rebel groups in his country because of the Nile dispute and that if it went to war with upstream countries over the river it would lose.
Egypt says it will ignore the new deal signed by upstream states, even though it is now legally binding with six signatures.
Analysts say that the ousting of Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak and the impending secession of South Sudan have strengthened the case of the upstream nations.
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has not signed the deal and, when South Sudan becomes independent in July, there will be ten Nile countries. Analysts expect South Sudan and DRC to support the new agreement.
Tegenu said the Ethiopian government had commissioned an independent survey that proved the new dam would benefit Egypt and Sudan by decreasing siltation in their irrigation projects and by reducing water wastage.
Under the original pact Egypt, which faces possible water shortages by 2017, is entitled to 55.5 billion cubic metres a year from the Nile’s total flow of around 84 billion cubic metres.
(Editing by Richard Lough)
Source: Reuters | 30 March 2011
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Tags: dam, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nile, Sudan, water war
Readers Comments (30)
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You see guys this time we should think like adults. We should see advantages and disadvantages. If egypt is going to be benefited from the built of this dame why the should revolt on it. Ethiopia is using the water for electric power, which means, it will not block the water from going to egypt and sudan, and practically it is not possible, the experts in egypt very very clearly know this. So what is the reason for this revolt. Every body feels what nile means for egypt, so no body will made mistakes by taking the water inappropratly. Therefore, we need to think what is approprate for all the river countries. "don't touch any of it" will never work at this modern and scientifically developed era. So the question is, is this dame benefit sudan and egypt? The answer is- very yes. By developing this dame, which will be in the deepest gorge, will reduce lose of water by evaporation, if it had been built in flat fields of egypt and sudan (even tough the amount of power they could generate will be insignificant compared to what is possible in ethiopia). The other is preventing them from siltation, which by this time is a rock and not a soil, which both egypt and sudan doesn't want it any more. Thinking these facts, our conclusion would all this revolts are political!. Mubarak have been using this agenda to drag the attention of his people from thinking to the internal (his rule) to the external (they are going to take your water – which is not true). This is how i think about the revolt and the reason why the government of egypt is not ready to discus on the issue and solve it in modern and scientifice approach. Egypt has a lot of amazing water experts, i think the government should consult them for the benefite of the egyptian.
I think that the countries in which the Nile comes through should share water according to its populate without dragging themselves into war and everlasting hostility. Nobody will benefit from war and destruction. Debating the situation and being civil around the table is better than quickly grabbing a gun and ready to shoot!
Egypt needs to back off because it has enough water and Ethiopia needs a little for its own needs. Its not like Ethiopia is blocking the Nile.
the countries in the region should join in a EU style union and discuss their differences in a civilized manner.
To Hassan,
Dear hassan am sorry to say this, but have you read the history of the so called Nile agreement between these nations ? Its indeed unfair as 90% of the water was given to a down stream nation which is egypt ! Now this is the last thing that every body wants to hear that that deal was made scrap and a fresh deal is to be signed by six up stream nations without egypt – if egypt wants to fight over the water they can but sure they will lose it!.
Egypt and the Nile go together deep in Ancient historical generations and also have well
documented agreement treaties of Veto powers just like the Veto powers of the 5 permanent
Veto powers in the UNSC Countries. The new modern Nile signatures have to put this
undeniable rights into workable solutions in whatever new projects planned to take place.
Ethiopia in particular is a Christian Muslim dominated population and must show respect
to honour the already predated existing treaties of Egypt and others if any.
Cheers.
Dear mohamed,
you are right, there are treaties. But would you accept those treaties if it had give 90% of the water to ethiopia? Am sure you will not. Hear ethiopia is saying, let me be benefited and help down streams too. The dame is for electric power you know it will not take the water. Even egypt and sudan can get cheaper and environmentaly friendly electric power than using oil generated electricity. You know all the river countries should discus. Just talking about the treaty which egypt and sudan sign with out consulting the above streams will not work out. Every body know what nile is for egypt. But this time they should be wise and stop blind folding their nationalities.
i disagree with you. Egypt doesn't contribute a single drop to the nile. Ethiopia contributes 90% of the water, and has the right to use its resource. Egypts behaviour is like claiming somebodys wife as mine. sorry Egypt.
Um. No.
Im sorry for my potentially offensive tone here, but seriously, screw egypt. We NEVER EVER agreed to the 1929 and 1959 Nile contracts. The signatures were of egypt sudan and britain who represented the other up stream nations (uganda, burundi, kenya, drc) as their coloniser. No Ethiopian signature. They never cared about our opinion. Guess what? We dont care about theirs! We are ready to do all it takes. I personally dont care if it harms or endangers egypt. When we had the 1984 famine, never once did the egyptians offer us short term usage of the Nile to quickly irrigate our fields and lower the famine impact. They just sat there getting fat and watching us die. Well what goes around comes around. Ethiopia will not be stopped. Time for egyptians to cry.
This is what i can say,
Egypt is an ungrateful country that was mainly the cause of war,civil war, poverty, famine, suffering and instability in the horn of Africa for decades.
Egypt played a key role that Ethiopia is a landlocked country since 1991. It destabilized the country by supporting armed rebels since the 1950ies. Egypt played a key role in the Sudanese civil war and the death of over 2 million South Sudanese. Egypt played and is still playing a key role also using Libya and other Arab countries in destabilizing Somalia.
It also played a negative role in Uganda.
Egypt is an extremely destructive country in the horn of Africa, and it is time for Africans to say enough is enough. Millions of Africans have died because of that ungrateful country.
Brothda given that Egypt might be blamed for whatever don't you also give the same reflections of
what other World Nations have done themselves. To be fair we are living in a world full of
wrong doers and now that a helluva upheavel changes are in the making it would be wise to
think ahead instead of feedbacks. Without further elucidations let's move on for a better world.
Cheers.
You are right mohamed. It was Britain that signed that unjust agreement in 1929 that gave Egypt and Sudan 90% the Nile waters. Later Egypt adopted it. Worse,it furthered that satanic policy of MAKING SURE that upper riparian states never get the means and the chance to threaten that "privilege" . The horn of Africa is such conflict-ridden and poor region mainly because of the Nile. Egypt should have adopted a cooperative policy.
Now if this dam is built the situation will change dramatically for Egypt in security matters.
With the Blue Nile contributing more than 60 % to the Nile waters the building of this dam will give Ethiopia the potential to block it, and potential is what matters in security considerations . Let us wait and see how Egypt will respond.
Is this story true ?
I was told by Ethiopians opposed to the ruling group that this story is lie, fabricated in the propaganda department of the government to frustrate the growing tension and a nation-wide uprising against the regime. The unpopular government wants to stay in power, so this story is invented to serve that agenda.
There is no way that a government that is selling millions of hectares of land to foreigners after evicting local populations just to get money to finance the army,the police and the spy agencies that it uses to oppress the population, a government that is engaged in "slave trade" of its own citizens to arab countries to work there as maids and also a desperate and inhuman government that sells babies to foreigners and generates hundreds of millions annually this way can not have close to 5 billion dollars to invest in this gigantic dam project.
This story is lie.
Abbay
The story is very true. Matter of fact, you can find the ground breaking ceremony by the PM @ Ethiotube.com . When complete the water storage capacity will be twice the size of lake Tana which is as we know the biggest lake in the African continent.
Your claim of displacing local population in favor of big foreign and domestic agro industries is false. The very locals you're shedding crocodile tears for are the main beneficiaries of villagization. Instead of scattered settlements they will have secure jobs, health posts and schools for their children . It will ensure efficient distribution of services for those otherwise neglected communities. By the way, the land is leased from 40 to 50 years with conditions attached .
As for the slave trade allegation I think any citizen of any civilized nation has the right to have a passport and travel to wherever he or she wants for whatever reason . This right is inshrined in our constitution.
Finally, Adoption is a common practice worldwide. China, South Korea, Russia and many other countries have adoption programs . In Ethiopia, prospective parents have to go thru grueling vetting process before they are allowed to adopt children who lost both parents . Peace .
Addis Abeba,
so you are supporter of TPLF ( Tigrayan People's Liberation Front ), the ruling group in Ethiopia.
Maybe you are Tigrayan ( the tribe from that drought-prone north Ethiopian region called Tigray ) too,because the group has close to zero support among the 95% non-Tigrayan population in Ethiopia.
Excuse me but i have to correct you that Lake Tana is not the largest lake in Africa, lake Victoria is. Even Lake Tanganyika, Lake Malawi and Lake Turkana are larger than Lake Tana.
Concerning the slave trade of non-Tigrayan Ethiopian girls to arab countries you know very well that they are treated there inhumanly, they are raped,beaten,thrown down from multi-storey buildings, boiling oil is thrown on their faces etc. And when they contact Ethiopian embassies in those countries your masters tell them "We can't help you. You have to finish your contract or commit suicide."
Such beasts are ruling Ethiopia today.
correction …tana isnot the biggest lake in africa!!
http://www.migrant-rights.org/2010/04/30/migrant-… http://theopinionator.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/…
In a similarly inhuman manner the Gambellas in south west Ethiopia, the Afars in north east, the Somalis and the Oromos are evicted from their ancestral lands at the gun point and their land is then sold to foreigners. The whole world knows about these crimes of TPLF. http://addisvoice.com/2011/02/land-sale-devastate…
This is not something you can deny. And one can write a lot more about the horrific crimes of TPLF like regarding the adoption trade, atrocities in Somalia etc, but there is not enough space here.
For example the desperate,bankrupt and inhuman government often steals the babies it sells to foreigners from their mothers or it offers the poor mothers money, a fraction of the money it gets from the foreigners.
Should we call the government mafia ?
I have read alot about the percepyion of egypt on river nile and ethiopia.I can say look every thing as if everything is for every one .Egypt built more than 8 dams as a water bankbut she doesn't contribute little water.Does it mean egypt is leaving for herslf by using astick to hit others(upstream countries)? In reality this has been shown for decads.However,it is a barbarism character.
I advise the egyptioan leaders to support ethipia in building the dam and conserving the natural resource of the nile in ethiopia ,which contributes 95%of the water in winter and 86% in summar .
"Not the largest but the longest river in the world" I stand corrected .
Abay
You made it abundantly clear that you have a distorted image of Ethiopia. I just got back from Addis a month ago and boy, things have reached a point of no return. Of course there is poverty and everything else that comes with it but it is without any doubt on the right track. if you can travel you go see it for yourself.
BTW, only a sadistic gluttonous human would deny orphan children a chance of a better future in a western country.
PS, I am not a Tigrian::
So what are Egypt's options now ?
1. Egypt can start a war, but according to Meles Zenawi it will lose it. Such a hostile action by Egypt could lead upstream countries to also take hostile measures against it like diverting or blocking the Nile.
2. Egypt accepts lets say a third of the Nile annual discharge, or about 30 billion m³, that is only 25 billion m³ less than its present "share". We know that the country uses over 70 % its Nile "share" for agriculture. So it reduces using Nile water for agriculture.
3. Egypt builds desalination plants like the Golf states and produces the amount of water it needs, if it needs trillions of m³ water annually let it produce trillions . Or it tries to find other ways to meet its water demand. http://www.worldwater.org/data20062007/Table21.pd…
It is so simple.
So no need to cry, worry or panic for Egypt unless it wants to continue this parasitic relationship with upstream countries.
For all you let me ask you one quetion, would you able to look the river flowing worthlessly when you die of anger?What will be your choice as human being?For how many centuries we blacks suffer exploitation?
This time choice is life and death. As African I will not tolerate further unjucitice on us. Westerns should learn at least today inequalities are the cause of terrerism in which they are fighting. Lenders should not turn their back on us because of unfair arrogant attitude of egyptions.
Fires and for most I like to say congradulaton for all ethiopians and ethiopia's lover , then be in together for the well realization the melinnuium dam constraction which going to be constructed in the coming half decade by ethiopians for ethiopian in ethiopia . forigeners can not say about this since the river is the gift of ethiopia alone ,nature excludes you but technology was infavorede us befre for now it is time to the right IT BELONGS TO ALONE US !!!!!!
this is the rigt time to use nile for ethiopia……….sory for egypt
I would like to say congradulation for all ETHIOPIAN peoples and Ethiopian lovers for the foundations lays Abay dam.Still now we have been talking in oral simply ,but today our dream is realized. Then ,I want to say for all of the people starting from youth—elder and all of the citizens who live abroad should be cooperate to complete this dam.''The dam of Abay is the future bright of Ethiopia.''
I would like to say that I am so excited by planned construction of Abay Dam. I have no doubt that Egypt will eventually agree and even might offer assistance. What is important now at hand is the unity of all Ethiopians inside or outside in supporting this huge project. Those who have political differences have to stop negative views if they really love their country. Now is the time to unite and give one hundred percent undivided support. To all of you who commented on Abay i present you this video. Enjoy and Inspired! Please go the link. Peace to all of you!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbOOZkBIa28&fe…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbOOZkBIa28&fe…
I believe not only will Ethiopia lose badly to Egypt from a military perspective, but all other upstream nations combined will be dealt with accordingly by Egypt's vast and much superior and disciplined army. All Egypt has to do is send in few long range F-15s to the area and bomb every structure…do that couple times and it will never be built. Melez better not wake up a sleeping giant. He should concentrate on what he does best: torture and kill his OWN people.
Not only will Ethio lose badly to Egypt from a military perspective, but all upstream countries combined are no match for the vastly superior Egypt's army. That said, this dam will not be built without Egypt's approval. All Egypt has to do is send a squandron of long range F-16s to the disputed area and bomb every structure…do this couple of times and the dam will never be built. Meles better not wake up a sleeping giant. He should concentrate on what he does best: torture and kill his OWN people and deny them freedom.
let me tell u Jabuuti_Hanolatoo what i will do; me not the government i will gather what i have and get radio active matrial and put it in the river and all the down stream countries will never use their land and water
time is not taxi,it never ever stop&wetting u !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! say Ethiopians proverb so U SHALL agree with us before ze time willbe left