Egypt Daily News – Dr. Hani Suwailem, Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, has expressed serious concerns regarding the actions taken by Ethiopia in relation to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
He described the unilateral filling of the dam as “tampering” and criticized the current negotiations as ineffective and merely a political facade.
Highlighting the significance of the Nile River for Egypt’s water security, Suwailem emphasized that the country has invested over 243 billion Egyptian pounds in the water sector over the past decade.
He pointed out that Egypt cannot afford to lose any water, with the current annual per capita water share at approximately 500 cubic meters.
The minister also noted that Egypt faces a water deficit nearing 50% of its available water resources. To tackle this challenge, Egypt has been importing agricultural crops—which represent about 34 billion cubic meters of water—to fill the gap, along with reusing an additional 21 billion cubic meters of water.
Furthermore, Suwailem mentioned that Egypt is actively expanding its desalination efforts to address the demands of rapid population growth in the country.
