Freshwater: Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (water conflict)

Question 1

what is the cost of the GERD?

Answer 1

$4.8 billion

Question 2

reservoir holds more than volume of…

Answer 2

entire blue nile

Question 3

produces how many megawatts?

Answer 3

6000 MW of electricity = double Ethiopia’s current output which leaves 3/4 people in the dark.

Question 4

Who are the Stakeholders?

Answer 4

Governments of Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan and UN

Question 5

What are the gains of building the dam?

Answer 5

• Ability to irrigate thousands of kilometres of land
• Able to generate a huge amount of energy which could mean that Ethiopia could actually start to export energy to its neighbours
• Develop infrastructure which would therefore attract FDI (foreign direct investment)

Question 6

What are the problems of the dam?

Answer 6

1. If Ethiopia dams the Blue Nile, they will be able to determine how much water sudan and egypt receive.
2. The water which is held behind the Dam is 74 billion cubic metres of water = more than all the water that flows down the Nile in a year which will cause massive tension between countries due to taking a long time to generate energy.

Question 7

What is Ethiopia’s view? - Gains & Losses

Answer 7

• Population has quadrupled in 50 years
• Ethiopia = low HDI and high population
• Suffers drought & famine - great famine of 2011 and 1984
• Successive failed rainy seasons lead to drought & caused famine conditions
• Needs to develop economically
• Plan directed to improvement of agricultural sector
• The expansion of the amount of land and irrigation is possible thanks to the UN energies
• Trying to irrigate land, create energy & attract foreign direct investment
• Since the Nile is one of the most precious resources in Ethiopia, they built a dam on it, to help it become an energy exporter
• Locals had to give money to the government to fund the dam

Question 8

What is Sudan’s view?

Answer 8

• Sudan is just behind the dam, so the more Sudan would be scared of a flood due to dodgy construction of the dam.
• Not only would they be limited with water, but also fear of flooding
• Started anti-dam but now pro-dam so Sudan sided with Ethiopians so that they receive the best funding to reduce chances of flooding for them.
• They accused Egypt of blocking UN funds which would lead to the dam being built better.
• Will hold Egypt directly culpable for flooding.

Question 9

What is Egypt’s view?

Answer 9

• Nile provides nearly all Egypt’s water
• Egypt claims 2/3 of that flow based on treaty signed in sudan in 1959
• Most agreed to cooperate with each other = dismissed the 1959 Nile Water Agreement and replaced it with 2010 Entebbe Agreement
• March 2015 - Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan leaders signed declaration that approved construction of dam as long as there’s no harm to downstream countries
• Egypt’s agricultural sector currently uses 80% of the nation’s water supplies
• Egypt’s current population: expected to rise by 60 million by 2050.
• → As the population increases, water demands will grow for household and industrial use and to grow the food required to ensure the country’s food security.
• Would be asking Egypt to become depended on what water Ethiopia would give them → This would cause knock on problems as they would have limited water.

Question 10

Conflict created

Answer 10

• War → Sudan built military base

* Egypt will go and bomb the dam if it doesn’t work out for everyone.

Question 11

What are the solutions for the conflict?

Answer 11

• The NBI, founded in 1999, is a permanent commission, involving participating nations and stakeholders, which manages water resources and works towards a fair allocation of water.
• 2010, they tried to re-negotiate the agreement and get rid of asking Egypt for anything being built on the Nile