Ethiopia, Egypt ink deal on Nile dam committee

Ethiopia, Egypt ink deal on Nile dam committee

Water ministers from Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan on Monday signed an agreement to form a tripartite technical committee tasked with studying Ethiopia's mega-dam, currently being built on the Nile's upper reaches. At a Monday meeting, the three ministers agreed to the terms of reference and procedures regulating the work of a tripartite Technical National Committee (TNC) – to include four experts from each of the three countries – to prepare studies on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), an Anadolu Agency correspondent reported. They also agreed that the upcoming tripartite meeting should be held in Cairo on October 20 and 21. Ethiopia is building a $6.4-billion hydroelectric dam on the upper reaches of the Nile River – Egypt's primary water source. The project – which Ethiopia says is necessary for its national development plans – has raised alarm bells in Egypt, which relies on the river for almost all of its water needs. Ethiopia insists the project won't impact Egypt's traditional share of Nile water, which has long been determined by a colonial-era water-sharing treaty that Addis Ababa has never recognized. Last month, a trilateral committee – comprised of the Egyptian, Ethiopian and Sudanese water ministers – convened in Khartoum, where they agreed to form a follow-up committee comprised of water experts from the three countries to discuss the impact of the Ethiopian dam project. The two studies to be conducted involve a hydrological simulation model and an environmental, social and economic impact assessment.

Source: turkishweekly.net