As Ethiopia launches Africa’s biggest dam, citizens are hopeful despite concerns by Egypt and Sudan
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (AP) – Fanuse Adee, finally among the Ethiopians who are looking forward to connecting to the national electricity network Great Renaissance Dam, It will be opened on Tuesday, it is completely operational.
Addis Ababa, a 38 -year -old widow who lives in the Menabichu Region, only 10 kilometers (6 miles) outside the capital, is currently survived in the lamps and candles to illuminate the mud -walled hut at night.
“Previously, our daily lives were relying on kerosene lamps and coals that created significant difficulties. We would sell the firewood to the market to buy kerosene and bread for our children. However, with the completion of the dam, our entire community is now happy,” he said.
Ethiopia will open the Great Ethiopian Renaissance dam during Blue Nile on Tuesday. Ethiopia is expected to produce more than 5,000 megawatts, which doubles the current output and some of which will be exported to neighboring countries.
Construction started in 2011 concerns The flow of flowing water levels from neighboring Egypt and Sudan is reduced.
Despite the formation of a common panel to discuss the sharing of blue Nile juice, tensions remain high and some such as corn are called a security risk to the movement, saying that it could lead to drought in the downward flow direction.
However, Ethiopia insists that the rising dam will benefit not only for more than 100 million people, but also to its neighbors, and sees it as an opportunity to become the leading electric exporter of Africa.
Ethiopian Water Minister Habbamu Itefa said that his country has no intention of harming any neighboring countries.
“So the road forward: Let’s work together for more investment. No matter where they are, the Nile Basin Countries – Uganda, Rwanda, DRC, South Sudan, Kenya, Kenya, Egypt, Egypt.” He said.
Water experts in Egypt said the dam reduces the country’s water amount and has to find short -term solutions such as reducing annual consumption and recycling of irrigation water.
Abbas Shark, a professor of geology and water resources at Kairo University, said, “Egypt was able to overcome this distress through the high dam of Egypt, a water reserve used to replace the lost due to GERD. However, we cannot always trust this reserve water supply.”
Sudanese experts warn that seasonal floods are reduced during the filling of the dam, but that non -coordination water emissions can lead to sudden floods or long dry periods.
However, Itefa said that so far, the water levels recorded in the dry season in the dry season were “three to four floors they received before the dam”.
“This means that they can have irrigation soils at the expense of the dam we built. They can increase it, because we provide more water in dry months. This is a blessing for them,” he said.
Yacob Arsano, who taught hydro politics at the Nile Basin at the University of Addis Ababa, said Ethiopia was “very careful ıyla with the design and planning of the dam to ensure water flow throughout the year.
Ethiopia continues to send water. So the remaining real and shared water resources will be organized. All up and down countries need to sit properly and sober. ”
For Ethiopians, the possibility of increasing electricity supply to improve development is a pleasant news. In Addis Ababa, Nemakelech Debalke Gebre-Gorgis for two people is looking forward to this.
“We want to see more developments and we want to see that more electricity is part of our daily life, and we are all excited,” he said.
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Associated Press journalist Fatma Khaled contributed to this report.
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