Damages of the Renaissance Dam on Egypt | constguide.com

Damages of the Renaissance Dam on Egypt

The beginning of the damages of the Renaissance Dam

Damage to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which began in April 2011 on the Blue Nile River near the Sudanese border and was scheduled to be completed in 2014, is set to be Africa's largest hydroelectric dam, with more than double the generating capacity of the Aswan High Dam, but the project is already causing problems.

Several treaties have been negotiated over the last century in an attempt to secure each riverbank country's claim to the Nile's waters, with Egypt receiving the lion's share. However, sub-Saharan African countries have long argued that ancient treaties deny them their modern right to subsistence. And, following a decade of political squabbles between these countries and the bank, Egypt will soon suffer the consequences of the Renaissance Dam's development.

The Egyptian government's attempts to avoid the damages of the Renaissance Dam to Egypt

The Egyptian government expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of adequate studies on the Renaissance Dam's effects on Egypt, prompting a tripartite ministerial meeting in November between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan, where it was announced that an independent technical committee of experts from each country would be formed within six months to prepare such studies.

However, at the same conference, Ethiopia's Minister of Water and Energy said that, regardless of the study's findings, the dam's construction will proceed due to Ethiopia's strong belief that the Renaissance Dam will ultimately benefit all stakeholders.

Damages of the Renaissance Dam on Egypt

Dams have both positive and negative consequences, but because Egypt is so reliant on the Nile, major agreements must be reached to ensure that the Renaissance Dam's negative effects on Egypt be minimized, such as:

Hydroelectric dams cause significant water disturbances, causing chemical reactions such as dissolved oxygen to kill animals and plants, and while the water returns to its normal form before reaching Egypt, the damage to these people is irreversible. Furthermore, numerous nutrients will be avoided. The Grand Dam's silt, which is required for agriculture.

Farmers, fisheries, and many others were adversely affected for decades by the reduced nutrients, silt, flora, and fauna in the water when the Aswan High Dam was built; these levels are sure to drop further due to the Renaissance Dam's damage, not to mention the many other unexpected problems that are likely to arise.

The most serious fear is that Egypt may no longer receive its fair share of water; nevertheless, water management issues can be rectified by negotiations with Ethiopia, whereas the loss of flora and fauna has no solution.

The benefits of the Renaissance Dam on Egypt

The better question is how the Nile Basin's waters can be used to integrate all countries stably and effectively, rather than what the Renaissance Dam would do to Egypt. Rather than looking for solutions in the North, East, and West, we should begin looking in the South, where our livelihood is.

The majority of Egypt's water reaches Lake Nasser during the flood season in late August and early September, where it is stored for nearly ten months until the peak of the growing season in July the following year. Approximately 12% of the stored water evaporates during this period.

With the storage of water in the Renaissance Dam, there will be less evaporation, which will help save water. Another benefit is that the Renaissance Dam is predicted to produce energy surpluses, which, given collaboration, can be transferred to Egypt, bolstering bilateral relations.

Damage to the Renaissance Dam political

It originally sought to block even the commencement of the building of the Renaissance Dam, fearing serious disruptions in its access to the Nile resources. Indeed, Egypt has branded the dam's construction as an existential threat, fearing that it will have a severe impact on the country's water supply.

However, because the Renaissance Dam is nearing completion, Egypt has modified its position to reach a political agreement on a schedule for filling the Renaissance Dam reservoir and how to manage the Renaissance Dam during droughts. One concern that remains is whether Ethiopia will be willing to release enough water from the reservoir to assist in the relief effort

The position of Sudan and other countries

Sudan is stuck between Egypt's and Ethiopia's opposing ambitions. Although Khartoum initially opposed the Renaissance Dam's construction, it has now prepared for it, noting the dam's ability to increase local development possibilities. Khartoum is still concerned that the Renaissance Dam's operation will jeopardize the integrity of Sudan's dams and make it harder for the government to manage its development initiatives.

Although the talks, which were chaired by the President of South Africa on behalf of the African Union, resolved many issues related to the filling of the Renaissance Dam reservoir, there is still no agreement on the role that the dam will play in alleviating drought. The three countries agreed that when the flow of the Nile waters to the dam decreases, it will be considered a drought, according to Egypt. Ethiopia, on the other hand, likes the flexibility to make decisions on how to deal with droughts because of the risk of drought developing during the filling phase, whereas Egypt prefers a long-term refill.

As they consider this contentious issue, all eleven countries should strive to improve relations beyond their Nile relationship, particularly in areas of mutual benefit such as trade, educational and cultural exchange, natural resource management, including water management, and dealing with threats to peace and security, such as the suppression and prevention of terrorism.
Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan, and other Nile shore countries must recognize that the river is a common resource whose effective management requires a basin-wide approach. As a result, only through cooperation can Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan, and other Nile shore countries peacefully resolve Nile disputes and achieve the type of water use that will significantly contribute to regional economic and human development.
Egypt, which has extensive irrigation agricultural experience and skill, can share part of that knowledge with other countries in exchange for increasing commerce. Research is another major area of cooperation, particularly in topics such as climate change, terrorism, and extremism.