Int'l Water Researcher Calls on Egypt, Sudan to Genuinely Cooperate for Fair Use of Water

Addis Ababa March 25/2021 (ENA) Since Ethiopia’s policy on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is clear and consistent from the outset, Egypt and Sudan need to genuinely cooperate on fair utilization of the Nile water, International Water Management Institute Principal Researcher said.

International Water Management Institute Principal Researcher, Amare Haile Selassie told ENA that Ethiopia’s position on GERD is clear and consistent.

Unless the down stream countries are greedy or have hidden agendas, Ethiopia’s policy has been clear and consistent, he added.  

The principal researcher advised Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan to genuinely cooperate and fairly use the water as there is no law on earth that hinders a country from using water that originates from its sovereign territory.

Ethiopia is calling for fair use of the water, protecting the ecosystem and collaborating with the downstream countries for sustainable development, he noted, advising the countries to build trust for fair utilization of the water resource.

The principal researcher of International Water Management Institute, Amare stressed that Ethiopia has in the meantime to work on reversing irrational external pressures regarding the dam by informing the benefits it could bring to the downstream countries.

Land and Water Resource Center Deputy Director at Addis Ababa University, Tena Alamirew said Egypt’s stance regarding GERD is obviously unfair.

“It’s clear that Ethiopia’s position is not to prevent Egypt from using the water but to fairly use it. The country is not even asking for payment as an upper stream source of the water,” he stated.

According to him, the construction and second phase filling of the dam must continue while negotiations continue to reach an agreement as these do not have effect on the downstream countries, the deputy director noted.  

Ethiopia is not asking for equal share but to fill the dam, considering the seasonal rainfall, he added.

Tena believes that the GERD issue should be depoliticized and the water be used fairly for mutual benefit.

The Egyptian leadership should inform the public that the dam will not harm the country, the deputy director said.

University Land and Water Resource Center deputy director, Tena suggested that the three countries jointly protect the ecosystem in an institutionalized manner to sustain ably develop projects and use the water resource fairly.