Ethiopia rejects new Egyptian suggestions on renaissance dam structure - rest-of-the-world - News - StarAfrica.com

Ethiopia rejects new Egyptian suggestions on renaissance dam structure - rest-of-the-world - News - StarAfrica.com: "Ethiopia rejects new Egyptian suggestions on renaissance dam structure
Posted by: APA Posted date : January 14, 2016 at 2:32 pm UTC 12 views In : Rest-Of-The-World

Copyright : APA
Ethiopia has rejected Egypt’s suggestion to redesign parts of the water outlets of the controversial Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD), an Ethiopian official disclosed here Thursday.
The Public Relations Director at the Ethiopian Ministry of Water and Irrigation Bizuneh Tolcha told the state media that Egypt has sought an increase on the number of outlets at the massive dam under-construction to allow water flow to downstream countries of Egypt and Sudan.

Ethiopia, however, rejected the proposal saying enough impact studies had already been conducted.

“The decision of building two openings came following “intensive studies and Ethiopia does not need to redesign the dam project” he added.

During the recently held tripartite meeting between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan, Cairo had proposed an increase of water outlets at the dam from two to four to allow much more water to flow and thereby to prevent significant reduction on the water flowing to lower riparian nations.

Ethiopia launched the Nile dam project in 2011. Egypt whose people depend on the river for water sources said the $4.2 billion huge project will disrupt the flow of the Nile River and saw it as a national water security threat.

However, Ethiopia said the project was never intended to harm Egypt but it is necessary for development and should be taken as a symbol of cooperation among Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.

The three countries later got themselves engaged in a number of tripartite talks to find a comprehensive agreement with the help of an international panel of experts and consultancy firms."



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