Ethiopian officials have confirmed that the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is no longer up for negotiations, according to a statement by Egyptian water expert and Professor of Geology and Water Resources at Cairo University Abbas Sharaki.
In an interview with the “Yahdouth fi Misr” (Happening in Egypt) TV show, Sharaki revealed that the four phases of filling the GERD have been completed, bringing the total volume of water stored to 41 billion cubic meters – the ultimate target is to reach 74 billion cubic meters.
He pointed out that the dam has a set of gates to regulate the release of water.
In the absence of negotiations over the GERD, he added that Ethiopia has the opportunity to store all the remaining water, explaining that Ethiopia has installed two turbines with 11 more to install.
The Egyptian water expert said that the maximum storage capacity of the Ethiopian dam is 24 billion cubic meters.
Without the High Dam, “We would be facing a real water crisis. Moreover, the High Dam has been able to protect citizens from the danger of floods, but it has cost us dearly.”
“I asked the Ethiopian ambassador in Cairo if there were any signs of a resumption of negotiations between Egypt and Ethiopia regarding the GERD. He replied that there was no contact,” he said, clarifying that “Ethiopian officials have confirmed that the filling of the GERD is no longer a matter for negotiation.”
Sharaki said that the years of filling the GERD are the most challenging for Egypt.
To manage, Egypt has established wastewater treatment plants and identified rice cultivation areas to compensate for the water gap, he assured.
