The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) project continues to generate developments and controversies, highlighting the complex issues related to the management of the Nile’s water resources. Recently, Professor of Geology and Water Resources at Cairo University, Abbas Sharaky, revealed new developments regarding the GERD.
According to Sharaky, the opening of the middle gate of the GERD’s upper discharge channel was announced after the turbines were repeatedly shut down. This decision was taken following a turbine interruption for about 100 days after the completion of the fifth storage. After the turbines were restarted a few days ago, problems arose, forcing Ethiopia to reopen the middle gate of the upper discharge channel with six gates, allowing a flow of about 50 million cubic meters per day, the same volume as the daily flow at the GERD.
To date, the level of the Renaissance Dam remains stable at 538 meters above sea level, with a total stock of 60 billion cubic meters since September 5.
The water resources specialist stressed that Egypt has no interest in operating or stopping the turbines for several months, as water has been flowing either from the turbines or from the discharge channel.
Tensions between Cairo and Addis Ababa have escalated after the failure of all negotiations on the Nile waters due to the GERD project. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Aati recently stressed that there will be no compromise regarding the Nile water, which is a vital issue directly related to Egyptian national security.
He reaffirmed Egypt’s firm position that not a single drop of Nile water can be wasted, as what his country currently receives is not enough. In a letter to the President of the UN Security Council, Abdel-Aati rejected the recent statements of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed regarding the fifth phase of filling the GERD.
He stressed Egypt’s categorical rejection of Ethiopia’s unilateral policies that violate international law and constitute a clear violation of the Agreement of Principles and the Security Council Declaration of September 15, 2021.
This situation reveals a complex and delicate dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia, highlighting the major issues related to the Nile water resources and the need to find diplomatic and equitable solutions to ensure regional stability and cooperation between the riparian countries.