The Dam Dispute

The construction of the GERD, or Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, has been the subject of dozens of disputes between major African countries. Construction began in 2011 on the Blue Nile tributary of northern Ethiopia. But the mega dam has caused a lot of tension between Egypt and Ethopia, with Sudan caught in the middle.

It seems the main fears the Egypt has with GERD is a worry that the project will allow Ethiopia to completely control the flow of Africa’s longest river, the Nile. Egypt has always very much relied on the Nile, it provides them 85% of all their water. Their stress can partly be attributed to the timing of Ethiopia’s project, and based in the time needed to fill the reservoir: “the speed with which Ethiopia fills up the dam’s reservoir will affect the flow downstream”. Speed matters, because the longer it takes to fill the reservoir, the less impact there will be on the level of the river. Ethiopia’s plan was to accomplish this daunting feat in only six years- but Egypt wants them to slow down, and thus proposed a 10-year period. A longer time period helps lessen the impact on the level of the river during the filling of the reservoir.

Ethiopia projects construction will be completed by 2020.

We hope negotiations between the countries go well, as the dam is foreseen to provide all neighboring countries not just inclusive of Ethiopia huge benefits due to the power it is capable of generating. 

Bibliography: 

Mutahi, Basillioh. “Egypt-Ethiopia Row over River Nile Dam.” BBC News, BBC, 7 Nov. 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-50328647.