Retrieved from: green prophet
“Ethiopia says that a controversial multi-billion dollar dam will not restrict the flow of the Nile waters to Egypt and Sudan.
“The Grand Millennium Dam, a $4.5 billion (Dh16.5 billion) hydroelectric project, will allow Ethiopia to export electricity to its neighbours and regulate the flow of the Nile to them, Tadesse Haile, Ethiopia’s Minister of Industry, said in an interview during a recent visit to the UAE.
“The fact that we are building this dam has nothing to do with [our] neighbouring countries — in fact it is in favour of them. It has no negative impact on water usage [by those countries],” he said.
“Ethiopia is the source of 85 per cent of the Nile’s flow and was involved in a long-standing dispute with Egypt over the sharing of the river’s water. Haile insisted that the dam would not reduce the Nile’s flow to Egypt and Sudan.
“It is not the case. By the way, Egypt and Sudan will be enjoying the regulation of the water [flow]… Hydropower does not consume water, it only regulates it, leaves the water to flow… Without this dam, the water could have flown and Egypt and Sudan could suffer as a result of unregulated water by way of a flood, which was the case in the past,” he said.
“Egypt and Ethiopia will likely sign an agreement to use Nile water on “fair and equitable” terms once a democratic government is elected in Egypt, he added.”
Read more: Gulf news
0 Responses to “Ethiopia pushes ahead with plans to dam the Nile”