GERD second round filling will change status quo of trilateral talks: Expert

Addis Ababa, April 15, 2021 (FBC) -Second round filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) will completely change the status quo of the trilateral negotiations, according to an expert.

Addis Ababa University Assistant Professor, Samuel Tefera told ENA that the second round filling of GERD will definitely change the whole trend of the ongoing trilateral negotiation on the dam.

“The impoundment of the dam in July would completely change the status quo of the trilateral negotiation and would definitely bring more advanced and practical agendas to the table instead of arguments and the disinformation witnessed now,” he noted.

Once the filling is completed, the trilateral talks will focus on more sustainable utilization of the water resources, the expert added.

The talks “would be much about how to regulate water over the years to the downstream countries, particularly Sudan and Egypt, as well as about soil and water conservation activities so that the dam could retain huge volume of water, avoid evaporation losses and anything that has to do with a sustained water use among the three countries,” Samuel elaborated.

It is to be recalled that Ethiopia recently announced that the second round filling of the dam will be completed as per the schedule this rainy season.

According to Samuel, filling of the dam as per the schedule would be crucial for Ethiopia both financially and diplomatically.

“The completion of the first round of filling was a historic moment that showcased Ethiopians commitment to the renaissance of the country,” PM Abiy Ahmed said in a statement last July.

Abiy also affirmed during the occasion that “filling of the dam will be carried out without causing harm to anyone.”

Some water resource experts criticize Egypt and the Sudan for over–politicizing the issue of the dam rather than focusing on amicable and sustainable mechanisms.

Ethiopia has made it clear from the very beginning that construction of the dam is based on its sovereign and legitimate rights to use the Nile waters, and it not causing significant harm to downstream countries.

Many observe that the Agreement on Nile River Basin Cooperative Framework Project is the only viable instrument for a fair water-sharing arrangement that brings the right balance and ends Egypt’s century-old monopolistic approach to the Nile River.