Rewards to the downstream countries

Molla M.

Ethiopia, the water tower of Africa, has remained being thirsty for years despite its ample water resource including 12 river basins with annual runoff water volume of 122 billion cubic meters. It is also endowed with   a volume of 109 billion cubic meters of surface and about 2.6 billion cubic meters of ground water.

But it is so surprising that Ethiopia has utilized only 3 percent of its water wealth so far.  Even this percentage was following the launch of the Grand Renaissance Dam, which is expected to play a significant role in the country’s economic growth and in integrating countries along the basin region.  The huge dam, ranking first in Africa and 8^th in the world, was designed to generate more than 6000 Megawatts of electricity with a special artificial lake covering 187, 400 hectares.

All Ethiopians, at home and abroad, have been participating in the building of this historical dam through contributing money and purchasing bonds. Following the launching of the Dam, they promised to contribute about 12.4 billion Birr. In the past six years, nearly 80 percent of that pledged is collected.  

Under its completion, it will benefit not only to Ethiopians but also to the people both in the upstream and downstream countries.  According to a study made under the title of "Sedimentation and erosion issues at the High Aswan Dam," by Kazuhiro Yamauchi, the Dam has encountered with sedimentation problems every year that diminished its functioning years.  

Egypt built the Aswan Dam in 1970. It served the country for about five decades or half a century.  The Aswan Dam, generating 23 percent of the total power in Egypt, is usually challenged by sedimentation   of about 60 to 70 m3 annually. Currently, the estimated lifetime of dead storage of the Dam is 500 years even some studies predict about 310 years, the study indicated.

“The estimated load of sediment from the Blue Nile at El Diem, the entrance of the river to Sudan, is 140 million tons per year. In the same token, the estimation load at Aswan High Dam is 160 million tons,” El Monshid et al (1997).  It is well read that most of the sediment flows to downstream countries is from the Ethiopian Highlands through the Blue Nile and the Atbara River.  Nearly 90 percent of the sediment goes from the Blue Nile during the flood season every year from July to October. 

However, there is good news from Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam. It construction will bring a ray of hope to the elongated service years of the Aswan Dam.  Recent research findings indicated that the completion of GERD will enhance the serving age of the Aswan Dam for some hundred years through controlling sedimentation.

It is some 50 years later to the construction of Aswan that Ethiopia, the major contributor of the Nile water, has launched its Grand Renaissance Dam. But it faced some refusals from Egypt raising some concerns connected with the amount of water flow to downstream countries despite their historical interconnection.  The Sudanese government understood the importance of the Dam to all countries soon and began heading well for a win-win solution. 

Egypt will realize all the misunderstandings it has perceived at present when it began to enjoy the fruits. In addition to the aforementioned benefit, downstream countries could enhance their irrigation system so as to maximize their productivity. Having integrated that productivity with the industry, they be benefited to much.  

Besides, they will get ample opportunity to expand their industries using power from Ethiopia with the minimum possible coast. Therefore, the construction of the Ethiopian Grand Dam wills a new chapter for downstream countries to decree their industrial revolution which will facilitate their overall development.  

Many times said but it is so important to be mentioned again and again that downstream countries will able to get constant amount of water throughout the year. They will get better and constant amount of water than they used to get as the Dam will regulate the flow and reduce water evaporation. 

One more important benefit is the avoidance of flooding as the flow of the water will be regulated both in the summer and the winter.  It is undeniable that this interconnection will lead countries in the Nile Basin to further strengthen their trade and investment relations; diversify export-import exchanges and maximize trade volumes. 

The aforesaid are just few justifications about the significance of the Dam. However, it could offer a number of benefits to both upstream and downstream countries particularly to the three countries: Egypt, the Sudan and Ethiopia.  

It is public secret that its construction has aimed to facilitate poverty alleviation schemes; thereby, sustaining the fast economic growth the country has registered for the past two and half decades.   Poverty alleviation schemes could be meaningfully executed if there is inclusive sector integration say the integration of the agricultural and the industrial sectors.

The initiation to build the Grand Dam has emanated from the intention to alleviate poverty. In this regard, the energy sector has to develop parallel to the emerging economy. According to documents from Ethiopian Electricity Corporation, the country has planned to develop its power to 17 thousand megawatts in 2020 and 35 thousand in 2037 so as sustained its growing economy.

 It would be unthinkable to uphold the development without developing the power that could shoulder the rising economy. That is why Ethiopia has invested a huge capital on developing the energy sector. As a result, there are some progresses. If we compare what was some twenty six years ago with the present time, the change is so massive, from 370 in 1991 to more than 4, 200 megawatts at present. 

Although Egypt has still some reservations, Ethiopia’s strong diplomatic efforts resulted in bringing all basin countries under the same umbrella and most of them signed the New Framework Agreement of cooperation on the Nile River.

However, reports released from the country at any time vividly indicated that there are still groups who have been agitating against the construction of the Dam having failed to accept the current reality in Ethiopia, in Africa and in the world.  Although the Dam has an affirmative impact on both upstream and downstream countries, these groups allied with some Ethiopia Diaspora as well as a few at home have been attempting to picture as if the Dam inflicts any harm to the downstream countries.

In fact, this is not too much to Ethiopia. If the country utilizes its fair water share to alleviate poverty and ensuring sustainable economic development, harnessing its natural resource could be mandatory. Its determination to build GERD and patience in convincing other concerned countries has emanated from this fact. The Sudan recognized the significant contribution of the Dam to all countries around it. It is cooperating with Ethiopia for the past four years.  In fact, that is what hydrological scholars and researchers have been witnessing.  They confirmed that GERD, upon it completion, will contribute a lot to all countries in the region.  It has political and economic importance.   On one hand it broke the colonial legacy in the utilizing natural resources among the Nile basin countries. On the other hand it has shared benefits for all the riparian states.

Generally speaking there are a number of rewards that GERD will offer to downstream countries. It regulates the amount of water letting them get constant amount throughout the years. It could also reduce the impact of flood damages during the rainy season. Besides, the two countries will get more water than what they used to get as the Dam is in a deep gorge and will reduce water evaporation.  Above all it will offer a special reward to the Aswan and other dams that GERD will elongate the functioning periods of downstream hydropower and irrigation dams as it will control sedimentation