Our water edifice

                                                                                                                           Desta Hailu

Blue Nile is about to prove its advantages to its motherland through the Grand renaissance dam. It is situated 730 km away from Addis Ababa – this crucial and important dam project. The dam has created huge mobilization within the country.

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The dam is also a display or an illustration of the effort the Ethiopian people are making to facilitate the renaissance of the new Ethiopia. Looking at the edifice triggers overwhelming emotion of pride and delight within the people. Indeed! Being there and seeing that the new Ethiopia generation are edifying this water monument that will be put in the history books evokes happiness.

Any person that looks at the fast pace the construction of the dam is going will see that it will answer the electric power demand that will be created when our economy transforms from agriculture led to an industrialized one. That person will also understand that our country will strengthen its foreign currency capacity by selling more than 6000 megawatts it will generate when the dam is completed.

He or she will also understand that the dam will be one brick to put our country’s renaissance on a firm basis, to realize the second growth and transformation plan the FDRE government sculpted and to realize regional integration and mutual growth.

Indeed! Any person that is lucky enough to travel 730 km to Beninshangul-Gumuz, Guba and Sedere woreda and saw the historical undertaking that is the dam with his/her own eyes cannot think anything outside of what I stated above – and he cannot.

Because the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam not only holds all the mentioned national and regional benefits, it is a monument that our country’s nation, nationalities and people together put their historical prints on it as one.

It is our statue where we put our fingerprints on. So, whenever I look at this historical edifice that towers on Guba and Sedere woredas, I see how our people can make history when they are at peace, and also how they are a committed people that are dedicated for their development and for the mutual growth of the region.

So, this historical undertaking, which is being carried out without any rest will get consultancy from foreign Consultant firms. A company by the name Salini Impreglio will undertake the civil engineering work, while the local Metals, Engineering Corporation (METEC) will be doing the electro-mechanical hydraulic steel structure design, procurement and construction and the project is going ahead in this manner. I am hoping that the readers will be able to imagine the amount of pride and happiness it evokes when one looks at all these parts working harmoniously right there on the spot.

Of course the project is one showing of our peoples’ burning desire to win against poverty and realize their country's renaissance. It also can be said that the project is our pride that enabled us to feel great again and evoke a ‘yes we can do’ attitude within us. This spirit will be an illustration of a path of mutual development we have taken, while also showing that the days we live of as an enclosed island is forever gone.

It is a project that will make the people of the world take notice of this great work of ours and understand that the undertaking is the culmination of our generation. Not only is it one way of showing our disassociation with poverty, the project will also be an avenue where we will create our own capability by getting out of technological dependency.

According to the Project’s CEO Engineer Semegnew Bekele, who briefed us on the spot, told us that it will be one of the greates power generating dams in the world after it is completed, including the fact that it will be a tourist attraction and destination. It also can be an additional capability through fish --- and boat transport.

As we saw there in the spot, many works are being done on the grand renaissance dam. Successful work is being done especially in terms of creating a healthy work employee relationship. Bank, Postal, telecommunication and internet service are being given at the project. Quick transit service is also being given by opening up a revenue and customs service at the project. These services services are being delivered to 11 thousand local and 350 foreign national that are involved currently in the project.

The clearing work for the place where the 74 cubic meter will reside when the construction work is completed is being carried out by METEC. And they are doing wide ranging works by talking with the Beninshangul-Gumu national state in order to relocate and the locals that have been displaced from their homes as a result of the clearing work, and carry out the infrastructural construction that would be used by them. This project will enable them to have modernity and benefit from the construction.

We have seen the dam's progress. While the power generating and switch-yard electro-mechanical and related works are being done by METEC, the turbines and shafts (that links the turbines and generator), and the power and auto transformers and related works are completed and has reached the dam.

The construction work of 500 Kv distribution station - the highest amount of voltage in our country’s history - and the electro-mechanical and related works are being done side by side with the civil engineering work. And in relation to the hydro-mechanical and related works, the work on four diversion box culverts have been fully completed and have become operational. Other works related to the dam is also being carried out.

Although many Ethiopians will first think of running when the term ‘world record’ is mentioned, we should not be surprised to hear that the grand Ethiopian renaissance dam has broken international construction records – as it is what we have seen by being there at the place. And I want it to be understood by my dear readers that the following four things are broken by our own grand renaissance dam.

The first is filling of 2,906,283 cubic meter roller compacted concrete within one year (between January 2015 to December 2015); filling of 608,877 cubic meter roller compacted concrete in two months (from November to December 2015); filling of 331,276 cubic meter roller compacted concrete in one month alone (December 2015); and filling of 23,200 cubic meter compacted concrete in 24 hours (December 28, 2014) – it is project that has broken such records.

In my belief, this record breaking dam project can be a show of the comprehensive effort of our country's nation, nationalities and people to win against poverty and the bright future that awaits them. And also the fact that there is no reason why they wouldn’t be a symbol for the world, if our people work together. The record breaking is a good image. It also confirms that we will break many international records whether it regards with peace, development or democracy, when we work together.

It is not possible to mention all the things we saw at the Grand renaissance dam on this short article. It is many-fold. It is a reflection of our unity and strong work. And looking and hearing about all these achievements increases the pride we have on our country. It elevates our proud feeling of Ethiopia.