disadvantages of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam disadvantages of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam

In the relatively unlikely scenario that the above points failed, Ethiopia could argue that there has been such a change of circumstances since the Nile Waters Treaties were concluded that they ought to be terminated. An Ethiopian national flag is seen at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in Guba, Ethiopia, on February 19, 2022. Even without taking the dam into account, the largely desert country is short of water. Egypt faces another dam challenge - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted Rendering of GERDEthiopia is building one of the largest dams in the world, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), on the River Nile near the Sudan border. An unsubscribe function is also at the bottom of every newsletter. Egypt, Ethiopia to form joint committee on Renaissance Dam. Disputes over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) Some have mythified it and claim it is the Gihon River of the Biblical Book of Genesis that encircles the entire land of Cush, thereby adding a religious dimension to the politicisation. "Today as you see behind me . It can help the riparian states outline principles, rights, and obligations for cooperative management of the resources of the Nile. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a powerful generation linchpin It could be a treaty or merely a political declaration as the name implies. Ethiopian opinion is divided over the need for such huge investments in hydroelectric energy when the national network is still very underdeveloped and unable to cope. After all, the VCLT allows states to withdraw from or terminate a treaty owing to a fundamental change of circumstances which has occurred and which was not foreseen by the parties (Article 62(1)). Similarly, in 2018, the UNSC noted the water security risks in African nations such as Somalia, Sudan and Mali. In terms of the old or anachronistic law, two of the Nile Water Treaties do not bind Ethiopia meanwhile the third does not actually preclude the construction of a dam. Ethiopia and Egypt Are Fighting Over the Nile River. The United States Although the case has been dropped, the organisations work focused international attention on the dams potential detrimental impacts on the lakes habitat. These are two of the largest dams in Africa. International rights organisations have reported that many cases of displacement were not voluntary and that entire communities were driven from their villages. This is good news for Egypt and Sudan as hydropower means little actual water withdrawal. Filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) along the Blue Nile River is well under way near the Ethiopia-Sudan border. If it is allowed to reach dangerous levels, water scarcity has the potential to trigger conflicts. Impacts of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on Downstream Countries Factbox: Key facts about Ethiopia's giant Nile dam | Reuters As mentioned above, Ethiopias dam-construction strategy is intimately linked with large-scale foreign investment in the agrarian sector and specifically in areas near the artificial reservoirs created by the dams. The latter, in Article 2(4), allocated acquired rights of 66% of Nile water to Egypt and 22% to Sudan (with the remaining 12% attributed to leakage). When it is completed, with its concrete volume of 10.2 million m3, GERD will feature the largest dam in Africa. The Gerd is expected to generate over 5,000 megawatts of electricity, doubling the nation's . Ethiopia: The Untold Story of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam On the surface, the 558 ft tall dam Africa's biggest hydropower project belies Ethiopia's financial muscle. 2. The withdrawal from the project by Deltares has been met by a wave of objections in Egypt for fear . However, Ethiopia ultimately refused to sign the draft agreement. The current global energy crisis may help in this regard in the sense that Egyptians may find the allure of discounted hydroelectric energy stronger than ever before. The disadvantages for Egypt and Sudan are the possibility of reduced river flow, although this is only really a problem during the years of filling the dam. Consequently, under the principle of pacta tertiis nec nocent nec prosunt, it could demonstrate that those treaties cannot bind it as it was a third party and did not give its consent. Ethiopia has the basins most suitable locations for hydropower production, and its damming of the Blue Nile would significantly increase Sudan's potential for irrigated agriculture. The colonial powers have departed and so to continue to enforce treaties agreed based around their interests would be irrational. Terms in this set (10) how long and high is the dam? Article 7 provides that watercourse states must take all appropriate measures to prevent significant harm to other watercourse States and that, where harm does occur, there shall be consultations to discuss the question of compensation. Finally, Article 8 requires that watercourse states cooperate on the basis of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, mutual benefit and good faith.. Given the fact that the conflict between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan over the GERD seems to be among the most pressing issues in the region, it might be advisable for emphasis to be placed on securing a trilateral agreement that secures the peace between these three countries first. The filling time is estimated to take about 10 years, during which the Blue Nile water flows would be reduced. His research indicates that rapid filling of the reservoir could lead to severe economic losses, though he notes that expanding groundwater extraction, adjusting the operation of Egypt's Aswan High Dam, and cultivating crops that require less water could help offset some of the impact. European countries including Italy, Belgium and especially the UK controlled the Nile as part of colonisation and the broader Scramble for Africa. These colonising states used the tactic of concluding treaties (often at gunpoint) to secure their interests and, in this case, essentially prohibit upstream states from using their own waters. It is perhaps the most glaring demonstration of environmental or climate injustice that the youngest continent (60 percent of the population is below the age of twenty-five) is also the one that has historically least contributed to the industrial emissions of greenhouse gases yet is likely the one that will be hardest affected by meteorological While this means new opportunities to develop extended irrigation-based agriculture for the Sudanese, it represents also a new threat for Egypts current Nile water utilisation (Whittington et al., 2014). Indeed, the ICJ confirmed in Gabikovo-Nagymaros Project that all riparian states have a basic right to an equitable and reasonable sharing of the resources of the watercourse. Moreover, these principles were pulled through into the DoP agreed by both Egypt and Ethiopia. In July of 2021, the second filling of the dam was completed. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will increase energy generation and development in Ethiopia, but it may have unwanted consequences for other Nile River users. On 5 July 2021, Ethiopia informed Egypt and Sudan that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia is undergoing its second filling. 497 Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Premium High Res Photos - Getty Images The Untold Story of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam There are suggestions that Egyptian officials in the World Bank managed to precipitate a policy that funds would only be awarded for non-contentious water projects, thus precluding funding for the Dam. In June 2020, tensions escalated when Ethiopia declared its intent to fill the dam in July without an agreement, which again led to Egypt and Sudan requesting UNSC intervention on the matter (Kandeel, 2020). Sign up for news on environment, conflict and cooperation. Government of the United States of America. However, Sudans future water requirements will likely exceed its water quota as defined in the 1959 Agreement. The 6,000-megawatt Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, shown here in May 2016, is scheduled to begin producing electricity in 2017. Moreover, it arguably prohibits any reduction of flow to Egypt by limiting Ethiopias use of the Dam to electricity generation alone. Review a brief history of copyright in the United States. Basically, Ethiopia should cooperate with the other riparian states in developing and adopting an effective drought mitigation protocol, one that includes the possibility that GERD managers may have to release water from the reservoir, when necessary, to mitigate droughts. The change of government in Egypt led to a more conciliatory approach (Von Lossow & Roll, 2015). Ethiopia completes third filling of Blue Nile mega-dam reservoir The Chinese donors who have agreed to fund it have performed no independent social or environmental impact reviews. - Ethiopia's massive. Ethiopia - Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) - Hydropower (2017). The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is a Big Deal - BORGEN khadsyy Plus. (eds.). The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a 1.1-mile-long concrete colossus, is set to become the largest hydropower plant in Africa. Here, for the first time, Egypt recognised Ethiopias right to use the Nile for development purposes. Fast Track Approach to Design and Construction at Grand Ethiopian The unilateral decision taken by Ethiopia - which never recognised the 1959 agreement but had previously not been able to challenge it in fact - to build the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in 2011 represents a major political challenge to the 1959 Agreement. It's very unpredictable and it can be very dangerous," says Pottinger. Ethiopia says it will take a further four to six years to fill up the reservoir to its maximum flood season capacity of 74bcm. Concern has focused in particular on Lake Turkana, which derives 90 per cent of its water from the Omo River on which the Gilgel Gibe III Dam was built. At the same. Cooperation among the three countries has never been more important as demand for water rises, she added, due to factors such as population growth, urbanization and industrialization. Water Politics and the Gulf States: The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam It's free to sign up and bid on jobs. The dispute has prompted numerous international interventions, including by Gulf Arab states, which have issued political statements and led mediation efforts. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. Zegabi East Africa News (2015). The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: Africa's Water Tower The Politics Of The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam - Analysis per year, that would constitute a drought, to push the three countries to adhere to their obligations in accordance with the rules of international law in order to reach a fair and balanced solution to the issue of the GERD, 1929 Anglo-Egyptian Treaty and 1959 Agreement. Ethiopia, one of the poorest countries in Africa, has the second largest population in the continent. The filling regime and operational methods of GERD will affect Egypt, in particular through its impact on the operation of its Aswan High Dam (AHD) which aims at mitigating the high variability of the Nile River flow. when did construction of the dam begin? l Coordinates 111255N 3505 . Another difficulty for Egypt is that making this argument (i.e. Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Ethiopia - Webuild Project The Chinese then took over the funding amidst heightened international concern regarding the social, technical, and environmental repercussions of the Ethiopian dams. Egypts main argument might be that, despite being unsatisfactory and anachronistic, the Nile Waters Treaties remain good law and are enforceable against the respective parties. First came the 1999 Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA). This is an intergovernmental partnership to provide a forum for consultation and coordination for the sustainable management and development of shared water. The dispute resolution committee could be made up of the Nile Council of Ministers (Nile-COM), which includes the ministers in charge of water affairs in all member states of the Nile River Basin. The Nile riparians must understand that the river is a common resource whose effective management must be approached from a basin-wide perspective. Omar, A. Workers move iron girders from a crane at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), near Guba, Ethiopia, on Dec. 26, 2019. Governing the Nile River Basin: The Search for a New Legal Regime. Mainly, for the downstream countries, the. The Blue Nile is Ethiopias largest river, with high potential for hydropower and irrigation. Amazingly, the normally required social and environmental impact studies were only conducted three years after construction of the dam had began. A major reason the GERD is so controversial today is that it has not been subjected to thorough safety and impact studies, which could pose a grave threat to downriver nations. Indeed, Sudan had initially opposed the Dam but changed its position in 2012 after consultations with Ethiopia. Given the advancement of the dam construction - the GERD being, as of March 2015, 40% complete, according to Ethiopia - Egypt had good reason to reconsider its position (RANE, 2015). Match facts: Egypts Ahly v South Africas Mamelodi Sundowns (CAF Champions.. Kevin Harts first Egypt show cancelled 'due to local logistical issues', Match facts: Sudans Al-Hilal v Egypts Ahly (CAF Champions League), Match facts: Egypts Ahly v Cameroons Coton Sport (CAF Champions League), Egyptian Premier League results & scorers (20th matchday), Spain La Liga results & scorers (21st matchday), 13 Egyptian women on Forbes Middle East 100 Most Powerful businesswomen 2023, Egyptian Premier League results & fixtures (18th matchday), English Premier League results & scorers (23rd matchday), Prioritising the best solutions for sustainable development, A new beginning for education and beyond, Prioritizing the UN's Global Development Agenda, US-Africa Leaders Summit: Between expectations and realities. Addis Ababa expects to sell no less than 4,000 Megawatts (MW) of electricity to its regional partners in the coming decade. Officials in Addis Ababa argue that the GERD will have no major impact on water flow into the Nile, instead arguing that the hydropower dam will provide benefits to countries in the region, including as a source of affordable electric power and as a major mechanism for the management of the Nile, including the mitigation of droughts and water salinity. The three fillings hitherto, with the most recent in August 2022, imposed no discernible harm on downstream states. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is a critical project that intends to provide hydroelectricity to support the livelihoods of millions of people in the region. Egypt, fearing major disruptions to its access to the Niles waters, originally intended to prevent even the start of the GERDs construction. The researchers looked at the dynamic interactions between the Nile's hydrology and infrastructure and Egypt's economy. What are the disadvantages of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Feb 11th 2021 DAMS HAVE several uses. Such an understanding and appreciation of Egypts water vulnerability would help the riparians develop a water management protocol that can significantly enhance equitable and reasonable use while minimizing significant harm to downstream riparians. This dam, set to be the largest in Africa in terms of power capacity, continues to cause disagreement between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt on filling and operation strategies. Ethiopia, however, prefers to have the flexibility to make decisions on how to deal with droughts. With regard to the mega-dams, the Gilgel Gibe III Dam and the GERD speak volumes on the substance of Zenawis political ideology. The New Arab (2020b). The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Fact Sheet Since its inception, there have been two, highly contentious, products. Disadvantages Slow process Could be washed to the wrong direction Start up costs Lesson 4: Long term investment, It can't cope with he propagation rate of water hyacinth. In fact, about 85 % of the overall Nile flow originates on Ethiopian territory (Swain, 2011). Despite the fact that newly independent Sudan in the late 1950s was literally forced by a dominant Egypt into a highly asymmetrical water-sharing arrangement, Sudan has rarely challenged this arrangement. These conflicts could take the form of international armed conflicts (between states), non-international armed conflicts between a group and a state, or conflicts between non-state groups. African Union, Israel and the crisis of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Since then, there has been a constant stream of complaints regarding the social and environmental impacts on downriver areas, including large displacements of local populations. One question that keeps coming up is: Will Ethiopia be willing to release enough water from the reservoir to help mitigate a drought downstream? From this round of talks, it appears that negotiations are able to move forward and address other sticking points on the agenda, such as conflict resolution mechanisms and the dams operations in the event of multi-year droughts (Al Jazeera, 2020). Egypts original goal was to have the project purely and simply cancelled. The Government of Egypt, a country which relies heavily on the waters of the Nile, has demanded that Ethiopia cease construction on the dam as a preconditions to negotiations, sought regional support for its position, and some political leaders have discussed methods to sabotage it. That seems unlikely given that the DoP concerns the Dam alone and was agreed only between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan; whereas the Nile Waters Treaties concern the whole Nile Basin and involve many more states. But with a generation capacity of 6.45GW, the Ethiopian government quoted the project as vital to the country's economic growth. the study highlights the importance of weighing up the advantages and disadvantages of counter-hegemonic tactics in general, and of large dam projects in particular, and . First, Ethiopia could highlight that it was not a party to either the 1929 Anglo-Egyptian Treaty or the 1959 Egypt-Sudan Treaty. Ethiopia announced in April 2011 that it intends to build four large dams on the Nile, including one of the largest in the world, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (formerly known as Project X or the Grand Millennium Dam).This huge dam will flood 1,680 square kilometers of forest in northwest Ethiopia, near the Sudan border, and create a reservoir that is nearly twice as large as Lake Tana . Download PDF 1.40 MB. A regional framework for the management of the Nile already existsthe Nile Basin Initiative mentioned abovewhich is a partnership among the Nile riparian states that was launched in 1999. Ultimately, however, Egypt did not sign the CFA (nor did Sudan) hence it does not resolve the dispute. The Chinese-financed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), despite a recent breakdown in talks on Africa's largest development project, risks powering up a range of downstream tensions and rivalries. Although the immediate issue at stakesecuring a technical agreement on the filling of the GERDs reservoiris among Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan, the broader and longer-term goal should be for all 11 statesincluding Tanzania, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Eritrea, and South Sudanto agree on a legal regime for the management of this important watercourse. Could the Nile dispute be an opportunity to boost freshwater technology? A series of talks since then have largely failed to produce a consensus among the concerned countries, with tensions rising again after Ethiopia announced its intention to begin filling the dam in July 2020. Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam. Nevertheless, Egypt must not use sympathy for its water vulnerability as a weapon to frustrate the efforts of the other riparians to secure an agreement that is balanced, fair, and equitable. A Grand New Dam on the Nile: The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam But controversy has surrounded the project ever since it was announced in 2011 especially concerning its . The Friends of Lake Turkana, an NGO representing indigenous groups whose livelihoods are dependent on the Lake, filed a suit to halt the construction of the dam. Although conflict over the allocation of the waters of the Nile River has existed for many years, the dispute, especially that between Egypt and Ethiopia, significantly escalated when the latter commenced construction of the dam on the Blue Nile in 2011. Ethiopia, with a population of more than 115 million people and Projected to be 230 million by 2050. It and several other large dams in Ethiopia could turn the country into Africa's hydropower hub. Negative impacts of the GERD - Opinion - Ahram Online However, for the reasons given above, the Nile Waters Treaties are unlikely to be considered territorial treaties. The dispute over the GERD is part of a long-standing feud between Egypt and Sudanthe downstream stateson the one hand, and Ethiopia and the upstream riparians on the other over access to the Niles waters, which are considered a lifeline for millions of people living in Egypt and Sudan. The piece (i) gives a brief history of the Dam; (ii) outlines the role of the Watercourses Convention; (iii) explains the significance of the Nile Waters Treaties; (iv) sets out the main legal arguments for Egypt and (v) provides the main legal arguments for Ethiopia. The Nile is not a boundary-delimiting river, hence Ethiopia would almost certainly argue that the exception should not be applied here. (2011). Tawfik, Rawia Discussion Paper 5/2015 . Location l Formerly called as project x then known as the Millennium Dam then it renamed to Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Africa's largest dam fills Ethiopia with hope and Egypt with dread Improved relations among Egyptians, Ethiopians, and Sudanese can go a long way in enhancing the ability of their leaders to negotiate and adopt agreements that reflect the interests of citizens, especially regarding economic development and poverty alleviation. The multi-services provided by the hydropower development and its technical advantages could be driving forces for local, regional and national development, and a catalyst for sustainable development. Both citizens and governments should be made part of the solution to the water-related conflicts that now threaten peace and security in the Nile Basin. In my opinion, this should be negotiable, to fill the lake over a longer period, and only when the river is sufficiently full. Such a mitigation program can make it much easier for Egyptian and Sudanese authorities to cooperate with Ethiopia and the other riparians in creating and adopting an agreement for management of the Nile. Churning waters: Strategic shifts in the Nile basin. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and Its Effect on Egypt