Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly stated that Egypt had prepared its plans to receive the huge volumes of water coming from Ethiopia, anticipating the official opening of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and the substantial storage of water by the latter.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Madbouly explained that Egypt had anticipated a large discharge of water from the GERD as it neared its full reservoir capacity ahead of its official inauguration, coinciding with the rainy season.
He added: “We anticipated the discharge of large quantities of water and had plans to increase the outflow from the High Dam.”
Madbouly confirmed that the government made the decision early on to increase the release of water from the Aswan High Dam into the Nile River. He stressed that this operation will continue throughout October as water continues to flow in from Sudan and Ethiopia to the south.
However, he warned that some land surrounding the Nile River in the northern Delta region will be inundated due to the rising river level as the increased discharge continues.
He specified that “certain areas, particularly in the Menoufia and Beheira governorates, will be submerged.” He clarified that this land constitutes the river’s buffer zone and has been encroached upon by citizens, making their presence illegal.
He continued: “Some residents cultivate this land, which is fundamentally part of the Nile River and only appears when the water recedes.” He noted that his statement was preemptive, aimed at addressing potential complaints that might arise in the coming period as a result of these lands being submerged.
Madbouly explained that he has instructed governors to warn citizens about the likely increase in water levels. He added that the authorities are simultaneously benefiting from the increase by using the excess flow to improve water quality in irrigation canals and pump the additional water to farmers.
The Prime Minister went on to criticize Ethiopia’s unilateral management of the GERD, stating that the lack of coordination and joint management has caused flooding in Sudan. He emphasized that Egypt does not oppose development in the Nile basin but insists it must occur without harming others, reiterating Egypt’s reservations regarding Ethiopia’s unilateral actions.
