Ethiopia has always been consistent on fair water use of the Nile Basin

Mesle A.

Ethiopia is the main source of the Nile waters. More than 86% of the water of the Nile originates in it. Nevertheless, it is a country that has made the least use of the Nile water. During the colonial era, Ethiopia was engaged in struggles to maintain its territorial integrity and political independence against metropolitan powers. Hence, it had neither the time nor the resources to utilize the water of the Nile.

Yet, Ethiopia has always maintained the desire to utilize the water of the Nile. In 1927 King Teferi Mokonen sent a special envoy, Workneh Martin, to the United States. One of the objectives of this diplomatic overture was to obtain American engineers for the Lake Tana development project. As a result of this effort, J.G. White Engineering Corporation was sent by the U.S. Government. The Corporation commenced physical surveys in 1930 and estimated the total cost of the works at $8,878,000. The contract included the Lake Tana outlet and the construction of a high way from Addis Ababa to Lake Tana. However, the project failed to materialize due to opposition on the part of Britain and the impending Italian invasion of Ethiopia.

In the 1950’s, Ethiopia contracted a U.S. engineering firm, Balton Hannessey and Partners, to conduct a comprehensive study of the Abbay (Blue Nile) River. The survey was conducted from 1957 to 1962. It involved studies of stream flow, soils, hydroelectric power potential, land use, marketing, communications, dams and irrigation.

At the time, Egypt and the Sudan were engaged in negotiation regarding the full utilization of the Nile waters. Ethiopia was not included in the negotiations. The Ethiopian government then asserted the countries right for the utilization of the water resources within the country’s borders.

The Abbay (Blue Nile) River Basin has considerable irrigable land. In the face of drought induced famines that afflict Ethiopia constantly, it is necessary for the country to utilize the water of the Blue Nile for irrigation. In the 1970s, there were plans for irrigated - agriculture in the Blue Nile basin. Arsano comments, “Regarding the irrigation of the Ethiopian Nile Basin, 1,600,000 hectares of land, Ethiopia is the main source of the Nile waters. More than 86% of the water of the Nile originates in it.

Nevertheless, it is a country that has made the least use of the Nile water. During the colonial era, Ethiopia was engaged in struggles to maintain its territorial integrity and political independence against metropolitan powers. Hence, it had neither the time nor the resources to utilise the water of the Nile.

Yet, Ethiopia has always maintained the desire to utilize the water of the Nile. In 1927 King Teferi Mokonen sent a special envoy, Workneh Martin, to the United States. One of the objectives of this diplomatic overture was to obtain American engineers for the Lake Tana development project. As a result of this effort, J.G. White Engineering Corporation was sent by the U.S. Government.

The Corporation commenced physical surveys in 1930 and estimated the total cost of the works at $8,878,000. The contract included the Lake Tana outlet and the construction of a high way from Addis Ababa to Lake Tana. However, the project failed to materialize due to opposition on the part of Britain and the impending Italian invasion of Ethiopia.

In the 1950’s, Ethiopia contracted a U.S. engineering firm, Balton Hannessey and Partners, to conduct a comprehensive study of the Abbay (Blue Nile) River. The survey was conducted from 1957 to 1962. It involved studies of stream flow, soils, hydroelectric power potential, land use, marketing, communications, dams and irrigation.

At the time, Egypt and the Sudan were engaged in negotiation regarding the full utilization of the Nile waters. Ethiopia was not included in the negotiations. The Ethiopian government then asserted the countries right for the utilization of the water resources within the country’s borders.

The Abbay (Blue Nile) River Basin has considerable irrigable land. In the face of drought induced famines that afflict Ethiopia constantly, it is necessary for the country to utilize the water of the Blue Nile for irrigation. In the 1970s, there were plans for irrigated - agriculture in the Blue Nile basin. Arsano comments, “Regarding the irrigation of the Ethiopian Nile Basin, 1,600,000 hectares of land, including 115,000 hectares around Baro (Sobat) River and 400,000 hectares of land around Abbay (Blue Nile) was planned to be under irrigation for agriculture.”

Moreover, most of the rivers in the Ethiopian Nile Basin are suitable for the generation of hydroelectric power. The rivers of Ethiopia also have the potential to produce 56,000 c million KWH of hydroelectric power. Therefore, it behooves Ethiopia to harness her hydropower potential to conserve the meagre foreign exchange which it spends on imported oil. Given this situation, “Ethiopia has no option but to harness its water resources for consumptive and non-consumptive purposes. There is no legal or institutional obligation which limits Ethiopian policy makers as well as planners from fulfilling this duty in the best interest of their people.

The utilization of the Nile waters is based neither on law nor on common sense. Yet, the lower riparian’s (the Sudan and Egypt), contribute almost nothing to it, but consume most of it. In contrast, the upper riparians hardly utilize anything. This happens under the circumstances of institutional and legal void.

The above status quo is untenable. With the sharp increase of population in the coming decades ...every riparian country may not only feel more need but also the obligation to utilize its water resources to maximum levels. Such demands are already soaring beyond the level of available water resources in the entire basin. Egypt and the Sudan have projected their water needs for agriculture alone at 65.5 BCM. This amount is 12.26 BCM higher than the total available water in the Nile Basin. This is a clear indication that when all riparians come up with their respective national water master plans the available water resources and national demands will be at irreconcilable variance. Population growth alone is not merely the problem, although it is one of the contributing factors.  The other important source of conflict is that there is no basin-wide legal mechanism on the basis of which water apportionment can be made and regulated. The existing treaties are bilateral and unduly favor downstream countries.

Ethiopia then introduced a mega dam on the Nile five years ago. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam provides Ethiopia with 6000 Megawatts of electric power, equivalent to about four nuclear reactors. When it was launched Ethiopia was generating 1886 Megawatts of Hydro-power from 12 dams, the GERD more than tripled that amount hence it was like almost 40 of Ethiopia’s usual dams combined. The commitment of poor Ethiopians to self-finance a dam that costs 4.8 Billion USD was also a clear signal of our seriousness on the project.

The symbolic meaning of a mega project serving as a display of national power, again, the GERD makes perfect sense. The Dam was Ethiopia’s way of announcing its reemergence from the abyss, the waking of an African giant and its comeback to shove off bullies and reassert its rights in the international arena.

Hence, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, gave the lower riparian in the stalemate an impetus. The Ethiopian dam is hydropower and not one that affects the quantity of the Nile waters significantly. However, it broke the deadlock and reminded all the need to work on the Nile Basin cooperation.

For better or worse, the Nile will continue to be the dominant theme on the agenda of the riparian countries during the early 21st century. More so, for the countries that are affected most by it. These include countries that contribute most to it and benefit least from it and those that cannot do without it. The cooperative venture should be based on comparative advantages of benefits to all riparian countries.