Egypt Daily News – Serious concerns about the potential catastrophic consequences of the dam, particularly if it were to collapse have been voiced by Dr. Sharaky.
With the dam reaching a storage capacity of approximately 60 billion cubic meters, Sharaki describes it as a “water bomb” that could have devastating effects that far surpass those of a nuclear bomb that could lead to the death of more than 20 million Sudanese, with significant damage likely to extend into Egypt.
After 13 years of negotiations between Ethiopia and the downstream countries of the Nile River, Egypt and Sudan, regarding the rules for filling and operating the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, and Ethiopia’s complete disregard for the demands of the downstream countries, along with Egypt addressing the Security Council more than four times on this matter, an Egyptian water expert has come forward to clarify some issues regarding this situation.
Registering an objection to Ethiopian policies.
Dr. Abbas Sharaki, stated in remarks “The objectives of the Egyptian speeches to the Security Council over the years serve as a formal objection to Ethiopian policies on the international stage at the United Nations, revealing its violations of international norms, laws, and signed agreements, the latest being the Declaration of Principles on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in 2015, and the presidential statement from the Security Council in September 2021, which called on the three countries to negotiate in a constructive and cooperative manner under the auspices of the African Union.
A complete file on Egypt’s efforts over 13 years.
The Egyptian water expert added that it may currently be necessary to submit a complete file to the Security Council, which includes all the efforts that Egypt has made over the past thirteen years, the economic damages from the five storage phases, the Ethiopian violations of previous agreements, and the unilateral cancellation of historical agreements, citing the 2013 report from the international experts’ committee that called for dozens of engineering studies, none of which have been implemented.
“A water bomb” surpasses the nuclear bomb.
Sharaki emphasized that the demands regarding this file are not solely related to water for repeated filling or operation, so that the Security Council cannot claim it is not specialized in water issues as it has done before. Rather, the file must include the dangers of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam from a security perspective, especially after it has reached a storage capacity of about 60 billion cubic meters, making it akin to a “water bomb” whose impact would surpass that of a nuclear bomb in the event of its collapse, due to the hazardous geological factors and the nature of heavy rains and floods.
Sharaki added that the collapse of the dam could lead to the demise of more than 20 million Sudanese citizens along the Blue Nile and the main Nile, and the damage could extend to Egypt.
Returning to negotiations
Sharaki stated that with Arab and international diplomatic pressure, negotiations could resume with the presence of international experts from the Security Council to reach an agreement that establishes rules for repeated filling, ensuring it does not exceed a certain volume determined by neutral scientific studies, as well as operational guidelines, especially during drought years and prolonged dry spells.
“We will defend our interests.”
Egypt recently addressed the Security Council regarding developments related to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, following statements from the Ethiopian Prime Minister about the fifth filling of the dam.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Atti emphasized Egypt’s firm rejection of Ethiopia’s unilateral policies that violate the rules and principles of international law, noting that the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s remarks about withholding a quantity of Blue Nile water this year and completing the concrete structure of the Ethiopian dam are entirely unacceptable to the Egyptian state.
The Egyptian Foreign Minister confirmed that Egypt will continue to closely monitor developments and is prepared to take all measures and steps guaranteed under the United Nations Charter to defend its existence, the fortunes of its people, and its interests.
