Egypt “will not allow” Ethiopia to build new dams on the Nile River, Irrigation Minister Hani Sewilam has said amid a long-running dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Sewilam’s remarks came about two weeks after media reports said that Ethiopia is planning to build three additional dams on the Nile alongside the GERD.
“It is well known that Ethiopia has plans to build new dams, but will the Egyptian state allow that? No,” Sewilam said at a press conference in Cairo, as cited by local media.
He stressed that Egypt has repeatedly called for a clear and legally binding mechanism for exchanging operational data on the GERD to enable downstream countries Egypt and Sudan to know expected water releases and annual operating plans.
The absence of such information places Sudan in an “extremely difficult position,” preventing Sudanese authorities from effectively operating their own dams or managing water storage without accurate data on the volume and timing of water releases from Ethiopia, Sewilam said.
“Sudan should not be blamed for any disruption in water management under such circumstances,” he added, saying responsibility lies with Ethiopia for refusing to commit to a legally binding mechanism for data sharing and coordination with the downstream countries.
Commitment to binding agreements
The minister reaffirmed that Egypt remains committed to reaching a legally binding agreement governing the filling and operation of the GERD, ensuring regular data exchange “in a way that safeguards the interests of all parties and reduces the risks associated with managing shared water resources.”
