Ethiopia diverts Nile for huge $4.7 billion hydro dam
Wed, 2013-05-29 14:00
Ethiopia began diverting a stretch of the Nile on Tuesday to make way for a
$4.7 billion hydroelectric dam that is worrying downstream countries
dependent on the world's longest river for water.
The Horn of Africa country has laid out plans to invest more than $12
billion in harnessing the rivers that run through its rugged highlands, to
become Africa's leading power exporter, Reuters reports.
Centerpiece to the plan is the Grand Renaissance Dam being built in the
Benishangul-Gumuz region bordering Sudan. Now 21 percent complete, it will
eventually have a 6,000-megawatt capacity, the government says, equivalent
to six nuclear power plants.
"The dam is being built in the middle of the river so you can't carry out
construction work while the river flowed," said Mihret Debebe, chief
executive officer of the state-run Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation, at
a ceremony at the site.
"This now enables us to carry out civil engineering work without
difficulties. The aim is to divert the river by a few meters and then allow
it to flow on its natural course." Ethiopia's ambitions have heightened
concerns in Egypt over fears the projects may reduce the river's flow.
Addis Ababa has long complained that Cairo was pressuring donor countries
and international lenders to withhold funding. Ethiopia's energy minister
moved to dispel fears over the dam's impact.
"The dam's construction benefits riparian countries, showcases fair and
equitable use of the river's flow and does not cause any harm on any
country," Alemayehu Tegenu said in a speech.
Mohamed Bahaa El-Din, Egypt's Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation,
said Cairo was not opposed to Ethiopia's development projects as long as
they did not harm downstream countries.
"Crises in the distribution and management of water faced in Egypt these
days and the complaints of farmers from a lack of water confirms that we
cannot let go of a single drop of water from the quantity that comes to us
from the Upper Nile," he said. A panel of experts from Ethiopia, Egypt and
Sudan is set to announce its findings on the impact of the Ethiopian dam on
the Nile's flow in the next two weeks.
Thé Mulindwas Communication Group
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