Egypt considers the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) “illegitimate” and reserves the right to take any measures it deems necessary to protect its water security, Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Hani Sewilam said on Sunday.
Sewilam made the remarks during a briefing in Cairo with representatives of foreign media in Egypt organised by the State Information Service.
Egypt and Ethiopia have been at odds for years over the GERD, which Addis Ababa began building on the Blue Nile in 2011. Cairo has repeatedly demanded a legally binding agreement regulating the dam’s operation to safeguard its water security.
Sewilam said the completion of the dam and the passage of time did not mean that Egypt had accepted the situation or relinquished its rights.
‘Illegitimate’
He said the 2015 Declaration of Principles signed by Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan was intended as a roadmap that established commitments on cooperation, reaching an agreement on the dam’s initial filling and annual operation as well as coordination and data sharing.
The declaration does not give Ethiopia the right to take unilateral measures concerning the dam, Sewilam said, adding that Egypt considers continued filling and operation without an agreement a breach of those commitments.
“The dam is illegitimate. Egypt has the right to take appropriate action to remove the harm caused to it,” he said.
“We gave Ethiopia more than one opportunity and tried every possible way to reach understandings, but it did not respond and also violated the Declaration of Principles,” he added.
Risks
Sewilam warned that uncoordinated operation of the dam can lead to sudden increases or sharp declines in water flows, potentially affecting dams in both Egypt and Sudan.
He said Egypt’s main concern is the timing and quantity of water releases and the rules governing them, rather than simply Ethiopia’s use of the dam to generate electricity.
“Ethiopia’s actions and statements by its officials indicate that the primary purpose of building the dam is not electricity generation,” he said.
Sewilam stressed the need for a legally binding agreement setting out procedures for periods of prolonged drought or repeated flooding.
Egypt denies receiving most of Nile waters
He also rejected Ethiopia’s claim that Egypt receives the “lion’s share” of the Nile’s water.
Egypt’s annual allocation of 55.5 billion cubic metres represents about 2.7% of the roughly 2 trillion cubic metres of rainfall across the Nile Basin, he said.
Ethiopia received more than 1 trillion cubic metres of rainfall in 2023, including about 467 billion cubic metres over the Ethiopian portion of the Nile Basin, while its renewable water resources amount to around 122 billion cubic metres annually, according to Sewilam. He said estimates of groundwater recharge in Ethiopia range from 51 billion to 81 billion cubic metres annually and are linked to rainfall, unlike Egypt’s deep groundwater reserves, which he described as non-renewable.
Agricultural land
Sewilam said Ethiopia has more than 18 million hectares of agricultural land compared with about 4.03 million hectares in Egypt.
Rain-fed agriculture in Ethiopia uses around 148 billion cubic metres of what is known as “green water” annually, in addition to around 9.68 billion cubic metres of “blue water,” he said.
Green water refers to rainfall, while blue water refers to water from rivers and groundwater sources.
Sewilam said Ethiopia’s total agricultural water use reaches around 158 billion cubic metres annually, while the water footprint of its livestock sector amounts to around 85.5 billion cubic metres, most of it green water.
Solar and wind power
He called for greater cooperation on rainwater harvesting, groundwater and improving agricultural water-use efficiency.
He also pointed to Ethiopia’s potential in solar and wind power, arguing that diversifying its energy mix could ease water-related pressures.
Cairo and Khartoum have called for a legally binding trilateral agreement between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia governing the filling and operation of the GERD to ensure their water rights and interests are not harmed.
Ethiopia, however, says operating the dam does not require a binding agreement and maintains that it does not intend to harm the interests of other countries.
The dispute led to negotiations among Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia being suspended for three years in 2020 before resuming in 2023 and stalling again in 2024.
