In terms of putative new law, namely the Watercourses Convention and the DoP, the key principles of equitable utilisation and no significant harm seem to leave ample room to accommodate the construction of a dam for hydroelectric generation purposes. The official narrative is that Ethiopia can uproot poverty and bring about a definitive end to social and economic underdevelopment by means of the construction of a series of mega-dams combined with the development of the national energy infrastructure. It has led a diplomatic initiative to undermine support for the dam in the region; as well as in other countries supporting the project such as China and Italy. First, as noted above, Ethiopia contributes 86% of the water in the Nile and so it seems only natural that it has an equitable claim to using Nile waters to aid growth in its impoverished economy. Ultimately, however, Egypt did not sign the CFA (nor did Sudan) hence it does not resolve the dispute. Huddersfield Repository - University of Huddersfield It also created a counter message to Egypts powerful the Nile is Egypt narrative that is familiar around the world. Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam - Wikipedia Despite the intense disagreements, though, Ethiopia continues to move forward with the dam, arguing that the hydroelectric project will significantly improve livelihoods in the region more broadly. What Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia must overcome to all benefit from the Grand Renaissance Dam. Disadvantages of the grand ethiopian renaissance dam jobs Addis Ababa launched the construction of the GERD under Zenawi, and work on it has proceeded at full steam ahead ever since. The dispute over the GERD is part of a long-standing feud between Egypt and Sudanthe downstream stateson the one hand, and Ethiopia and the upstream riparians on the other over access to the Niles waters, which are considered a lifeline for millions of people living in Egypt and Sudan. Solar and wind power could break the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Hence, the customary law argument might be too ambitious. According to present plans, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) now under construction across the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia will be the largest hydroelectric dam in Africa, and one of the 12 largest in the world. The results indicated that the negative impacts on Egyptian water resources are dominant. But the Ethiopian elites show little interest in addressing such concerns, bent as they are on a nationalist revivalist project that claims an Ethiopian exceptionalism that places Addis Ababa above international law as it pursues a water-management strategy that has less to do with its development aims than with its ambitions to weaponise water in a bid for regional hegemony. The Politics Of The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam - Analysis The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is a 6,450 MW hydropower project nearing completion on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia, located about 30 km upstream of the border with Sudan. Ethiopian general threatens military force to defend Nile dam as negotiations with Egypt falter. However, as noted above, the trouble with relying on the DoP is that its legal status is not clearly defined. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 56(4), 687-702. In my opinion, this should be negotiable, to fill the lake over a longer period, and only when the river is sufficiently full. On Foes and Flows: Vulnerabilities, Adaptive Capacities and Transboundary Relations in the Nile River Basin in Times of Climate Change. Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Ethiopia - Webuild Project In fact, the Dam arguably smooths out the flow and mitigates the risk of both drought and floods. Construction of the 6,000-megawatt, US $5 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) began . While this means new opportunities to develop extended irrigation-based agriculture for the Sudanese, it represents also a new threat for Egypts current Nile water utilisation (Whittington et al., 2014). First, Ethiopia could highlight that it was not a party to either the 1929 Anglo-Egyptian Treaty or the 1959 Egypt-Sudan Treaty. (PDF) Benefit of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Project (GERDP) for Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam | International Rivers Water scarcity is a growing problem. Flashcards. The GERD has the potential to act both as driver for conflict, but also for cooperation. 2. Ethiopia says it will take a further four to six years to fill up the reservoir to its maximum flood season capacity of 74bcm. This is because it is traditionally understood to refer to waterways that form intrinsic parts of international boundaries. It is clearly a philosophy that looks beyond the electricity and freshwater needs of local communities to a geo-strategic restructuring of the Horn of Africa. Egyptian Water Security and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: Why What could have been strictly technical negotiations have turned into a political deadlock. Match. Ethiopias Blue Nile Dam is an opportunity for regional collaboration, Developing countries are key to climate action, Self-organizing Nigeria: The antifragile state, Managing the compounding debt and climate crises. In the modern era, the US used water to blackmail Egypt. Ethiopia, however, prefers to have the flexibility to make decisions on how to deal with droughts. For a decade, Egypt and Ethiopia have been at a diplomatic stalemate over the Nile's management. The crucial leverage regarding Egypts water security lies with the Blue Nile countries Ethiopia and Sudan, as the Blue Nile is the main contributor to the Nile Rivers flow downstream. What is your opinion on Ethiopia's chances of completing the "Great February 14, 2022 JPEG Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam - ArcGIS StoryMaps It states in Principle III that the parties shall take all appropriate measures to prevent the causing of significant harm. With regard to the mega-dams, the Gilgel Gibe III Dam and the GERD speak volumes on the substance of Zenawis political ideology. The GERD has become a new reality challenging the traditional dynamics in the Nile River Basin. All three countries have a vested interest in a properly operated dam. Since then, there has been a constant stream of complaints regarding the social and environmental impacts on downriver areas, including large displacements of local populations. [18] The Government of Egypt, a country which relies heavily on the waters of the Nile, has demanded that Ethiopia cease construction on the dam as a preconditions to negotiations, sought regional support for its position, and some political leaders have discussed methods to sabotage it. Perhaps the most significant project in the 2003 plan was the Chemoga-Yeda Hydroelectric Project, a series of five small dams on Blue Nile tributaries and two dams on the Genale River with a couple more envisioned for a later phase. Since 2015, technical reports on the potential impacts of the dam have failed to reach a consensus within the TNC (Maguid, 2017). They generate electricity, store water for crop irrigation and help to prevent floods. The CFA was a political success for the eight upstream states such as Ethiopia as it favoured those states and isolated the downstream states of Egypt and Sudan and made them appear recalcitrant. The politicisation of the Niles water and the utilisation of development projects to achieve political ends are not new phenomena. Sudan is caught between the competing interests of Egypt and Ethiopia. In that light, Egypt should minimize trips to Washington, D.C., New York, and Brussels, and instead use its diplomatic resources to improve its relations with the other riparian states. Downstream countries Egypt and Sudan have expressed concerns over the impacts of the dam on their water supply. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. - Ethiopia's massive. Over the years, Egypt has used its extensive diplomatic connections and the colonial-era 1929 and 1959 agreements to successfully prevent the construction of any major infrastructure projects on the tributaries of the Nile. A significant segment of local opinion is also aware of the well-known problems that come with mega-dams wherever they are built, among them population displacements and resettlement, reductions in the quality of life, the spread of waterborne diseases, salinisation and the loss of productive and profitable lands, more intense competition over the remaining available land, and losses of cultural and historic heritage. Revisiting hydro-hegemony from a benefitsharing perspective: the case Indeed, Egypt has called the filling of the dam an existential threat, as it fears the dam will negatively impact the countrys water supplies. Under the Ethiopian constitution, the state is the proprietor of the countrys land and natural resources, which gives the government significant control over the allocation and use of land. The first filling of the dam in July 2020 went uneventfully. Turning then to Ethiopia. Factbox: Key facts about Ethiopia's giant Nile dam | Reuters Trilateral talks between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to finalise an agreement on a cooperation framework for the GERD have been mediated by the African Union, World Bank and United States. Feb 11th 2021 DAMS HAVE several uses. In fact, about 85 % of the overall Nile flow originates on Ethiopian territory (Swain, 2011). It concludes that Ethiopias legal position is far stronger and that a negotiated agreement in its favour is the most likely outcome of the dispute. They can also cause dispute and heartachefor example, over damage to. Poverty alleviation, which is a major concern for all Nile Basin countries, could form the basis of a cooperative arrangement between all the Niles riparians. It could be a treaty or merely a political declaration as the name implies. Finally, Ethiopia could make a strong case that the operation of the Dam is in alignment with the core principles of international water law, namely equitable utilisation and no significant harm. These are found in Articles 5 and 7 of the Water Courses Convention respectively and, despite the scepticism outlined above, arguably form part of customary international law. Mainly, for the downstream countries, the. Indeed, as Tekuya notes, Ethiopia persistently objected to the 1929 and 1959 treaties and made clear that its failure to exploit the Nile resulted from a lack of capacity rather than a lack of a legal right to do so. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: Africa's Water Tower Practically from the outset, the World Bank and international donors withdrew funding due to a lack of transparency, driven home when it was learned that the construction had begun without a permit from the Environmental Protection Agency in Ethiopia. For nearly a century, as a legacy of colonialism, Egypt enjoyed what Tekuya referred to as a hydro-hegemony over the Nile; despite Ethiopia contributing 86% to its waters. A Grand New Dam on the Nile: The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Consequently, it suits Egypts interests in this context to argue that the DoP is binding, that it precludes any net loss of flow and therefore that the use of the Dam for irrigation purposes is prohibited. Workers move iron girders from a crane at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), near Guba, Ethiopia, on Dec. 26, 2019. Review a brief history of copyright in the United States. But the project has caused concern. The Eastern Nile Basin is of critical geopolitical importance to the Niles overall hydro-political regime. In contrast, other watercourse states on the Nile have lent their support to the Dam. Benefits from the Nile's Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam - Rural 21 A political requirement will be to agree on rules for filling the GERD reservoir and on operating rules for the GERD, especially during periods of drought. As stipulated by an Agreement of 1959 (see:Nile Main Conflict), Egypt and Sudan presented for several decades a common position vis--vis other riparians regarding the utilisation and management of Nile waters. The multi-services provided by the hydropower development and its technical advantages could be driving forces for local, regional and national development, and a catalyst for sustainable development. But controversy has surrounded the project ever since it was announced in 2011 especially concerning its . To African commentators in recent decades, massive investments in mega-energy and irrigation projects were emblematic of the African economic emergence, and Ethiopia at that time vaunted itself as one of the fastest-growing economies in the region. The Tendaho, Tekeze, and the Gibe series are only a few examples from that period. (2011). Al Jazeera (2020). Recently, the tensions among Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile have escalated, particularly after Ethiopia announced that it had started filling the GERDs reservoir, an action contrary to Egypts mandate that the dam not be filled without a legally binding agreement over the equitable allocation of the Niles waters. Copyright 2023, JURIST Legal News & Research Services, Inc. Elliot Winter | New Castle University (UK), Egyptian Water Security and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: Why Ethiopia has the Upper Hand, Vienna Convention on the Succession of States, history of copyright in the United States. per year, that would constitute a drought and, according to Egypt and Sudan, Ethiopia would have to release some of the water in the dams reservoir to deal with the drought. A more recent trilateral meeting mediated by the African Union in mid-July, however, appeared to diffuse the situation with all three countries reaching a major common understanding towards achieving an agreement (Al Jazeera, 2020). Tawfik, Rawia Discussion Paper 5/2015 . The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam located in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia, about 45 km east of the border with Sudan. Even then, the initial studies did not extend beyond the borders with Kenya. While the water will return to its normal state before reaching Egypt, the damage to these populations will be permanent. Alaa al-Zawahiri, a member of the Egyptian National Panel of Experts studying the effects of the Renaissance Dam, believes as much. Moreover, after the completion of the GERD, Egypt could run short of water if the operation of the GERD was not carefully coordinated with that of the AHD. At that point, the lake that . Construction on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam began in 2011 and it is currently nearing completion. Since its inception, there have been two, highly contentious, products. Further, it means that this figure should be used to assess the impact of the Dam on the Egyptian economy for the purposes of calculating compensation resulting from loss of flow. But with a generation capacity of 6.45GW, the Ethiopian government quoted the project as vital to the country's economic growth. Given the advancement of the dam construction - the GERD being, as of March 2015, 40% complete, according to Ethiopia - Egypt had good reason to reconsider its position (RANE, 2015). (eds.). Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam: Ending Africa's Oldest Geopolitical Rivalry? Nevertheless, it is important to take stock of the human costs, social problems, and lasting environmental impacts of this strategy which have already drawn considerable criticism and concern. Egypt faces another dam challenge - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted Water Policy, 16(4), 595-608. The latter, in Article 2(4), allocated acquired rights of 66% of Nile water to Egypt and 22% to Sudan (with the remaining 12% attributed to leakage). Although Khartoum initially opposed the construction of the GERD, it has since warmed up to it, citing its potential to improve prospects for domestic development. However, as a result of the ability and willingness of Ethiopians at home and abroad to invest in the dam project, the government was able to raise a significant portion of the money needed to start the construction of the GERD. The Dam is being built by Ethiopia on the Nile River and is fiercely opposed by Egypt. Ethiopia should get its fair share of water that originates in Ethiopia. The grand Ethiopian Renaissance dam (eg) - SlideShare The three countries have agreed that when the flow of Nile water to the dam falls below 35-40 b.c.m. khadsyy Plus. If Egyptian authorities refuse to abandon these anachronistic treatieswhich have created untenable water-use rights that benefit only itself and Sudanall parties will remain at an impasse. Ultimately, all the water is allowed to pass downstream such that there is no net loss of flow (with the exception of water lost to evaporation). The GDP per capita in Ethiopia is only $475. Indeed, the ICJ confirmed in Gabikovo-Nagymaros Project that all riparian states have a basic right to an equitable and reasonable sharing of the resources of the watercourse. Moreover, these principles were pulled through into the DoP agreed by both Egypt and Ethiopia. Ethiopia also seems to have the political upper hand given that the Dam is effectively a fait accompli and given that Egypts erstwhile downstream ally, Sudan, switched sides in the dispute leaving the Egyptians diplomatically isolated. The Nile riparians must understand that the river is a common resource whose effective management must be approached from a basin-wide perspective. Disadvantages Slow process Could be washed to the wrong direction Start up costs Lesson 4: Long term investment, It can't cope with he propagation rate of water hyacinth. No water at all was allocated to Ethiopia. International rights organisations have reported that many cases of displacement were not voluntary and that entire communities were driven from their villages. It's free to sign up and bid on jobs. An agreement between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is within reach, with the United Nations standing ready to support talks and the African Union-led process to settle remaining differences, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs told the Security Council in a 29 June videoconference meeting*. the study highlights the importance of weighing up the advantages and disadvantages of counter-hegemonic tactics in general, and of large dam projects in particular, and . IDS (2013). It and several other large dams in Ethiopia could turn the country into Africa's hydropower hub. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: Limited Options for a Resolution Since plans for Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) were first announced in 2011, Cairo has viewed the project as a serious threat to the country's water supply. We shall begin with the former. The Zenawi concept of a Strong Ethiopia envisions the country as a powerful hydroelectric energy hub exporting electricity to Djibouti and Somalia in the east, Kenya and Uganda to the south, and Sudan to the west. The Untold Story of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Indeed, Sudan had initially opposed the Dam but changed its position in 2012 after consultations with Ethiopia. For Ethiopia, GERD is considered an economic game-changer. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. Created by. The drying up of this in Central Asia has been called the worlds worst environmental catastrophe. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Fact Sheet However, it also makes useful concessions to Egypt which it may wish to press. At 6,000 MW, the dam will be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa when completed at 2017(IPoE, 2013). Why is the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam contentious? For more on the background and history of these important relationships, see my book with former AGI Director Mwangi S. Kimenyi, Governing the Nile River Basin: The Search for a New Legal Regime., not be filled without a legally binding agreement, when the flow of Nile water to the dam falls below 35-40 b.c.m.
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