Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – (African Boulevard News) – Ethiopia is set to launch the fourth filling of its controversial $4.2 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) amidst regional tensions and concerns about its impact on the Nile River. The announcement comes after recent talks between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan failed to produce an agreement on how to manage the Nile waters.
The GERD, which is Africa’s largest hydropower project, has been in the making since 2011 and has been a source of conflict between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan. Egypt and Sudan fear that the dam would disrupt the flow of water downstream and affect their water supply. Ethiopia denies this and insists that the dam is necessary for its economic development.
The fourth filling is expected to begin in July and will fill the reservoir with 13.5 billion cubic meters of water. This is in addition to the 4.9 billion cubic meters already stored in the previous three fillings. The filling will take about two months, with the dam’s turbines expected to start generating electricity in 2022.
According to Ethiopia’s Water, Irrigation and Energy Minister, Seleshi Bekele, the fourth filling had been planned for last year but was delayed due to technical difficulties. He also assured the downstream countries that the filling would not cause any harm to their water supply.
“The filling of the reservoir is a natural and unavoidable consequence of the construction of a hydropower dam. We have undertaken all the necessary studies and have concluded that the filling will not cause any significant harm to the downstream countries,” he said.
Despite this assurance, Egypt and Sudan have called for a binding agreement on the dam’s operation before the fourth filling begins. They have also asked for a greater role in the management of the Nile waters, something which Ethiopia has rejected saying that it would infringe on its sovereignty.
The dispute over the dam has raised tensions in the region with Egypt threatening to take military action if its water supply is threatened. The United Nations has called for a peaceful resolution to the dispute and has urged the three countries to resume talks to reach a mutually acceptable agreement.
As the region awaits the fourth filling of the GERD, many are hoping that a diplomatic solution will be found to the ongoing dispute over the Nile waters.
