Nile River: Dam in longest river in Africa dey cause Egypt-Ethiopia kasala – Read wetin you need to know about Grand Renaissance Dam

Blue Nile River: Grand Renaissance Dam under construction for di river Nile

Reuters
Di Grand Renaissance Dam na source of national pride for Ethiopia

Di latest toks to settle di quanta between Ethiopia and Egypt on top di future of di giant hydropower project on di Nile River go happun on Tuesday as Africa leaders go siddon for to hold virtual meeting.

Dis dey come afta recent tok-tok between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt end without a deal.

Ethiopia dey hope say di dam go bring electricity to tens of millions of im pipo wey currently dey live without access to regular power but Egypt, wey dey get most of im fresh water from di Nile, dey worry say di move go threaten water supply for dia kontri.

Wen dem complete, di Grand Renaissance Dam, wey Ethiopia dey build, e go be di Africa biggest hydroelectric power plant.

Dem start di construction since 2011 on di Blue Nile tributary for di northern Ethiopia highlands, from wia 85% of di Nile water dey flow.

The mega dam don cause gbas-gbos between Egypt and Ethiopia, and Sudan dey between, and some pipo dey fear say e fit lead to war, and di US don begin chook mouth for di mata.

Why di gbas-gbos?

Part of wetin dey cause di fight na plans to fill up di mega dam and Egypt dey fear say di project go allow Ethiopia to control di flow of Africa longest river.

Hydroelectric power stations no dey consume water, but di speed wey Ethiopia take fill up di reservoir of di dam go affect di flow of water downstream.

Di longer e go take to fill up di reservoir, wey go big pass Greater London wit capacity of 74 billion cubic metres, di less impact e go get on di level of di river.

Ethiopia wan do am in six years.

“We get plan to start di filling for di next rainy season, and we go start dey generate power wit two turbines for December 2020,” Ethiopia Water Minister Seleshi Bekele tok for September last year.

But Egypt don propose longer period – so dat di level of di river no go suddenly drop, especially for di first phase of filling di reservoir.

Di tok-tok between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over how dem go operate di dam and fill don reservoir neva make progress since four years – and di US don dey try to settle di mata.

Afta dia tok for January 2020, Oga Seleshi accuse Egypt say dem no get any plans to reach a deal.

Nile River

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Ethiopia Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy, Seleshi Bekele afta tok-tok for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on January 9, 2020 say dem wan start dey fill di dam by July.

See di Nile wit 360 video


Why Egypt dey para?

Egypt dey rely on River Nile for 90% of dia water. For history, to get stable flow of di Nile waters na mata of survival for kontri wia water dey scarce.

One 1929 agreement alias treaty (and anoda one for 1959) give Egypt and Sudan rights to almost all di Nile waters. Di colonial-era document still give Egypt veto powers over any projects by upstream kontris wey fit affect im share of di water.

Ethiopia don tok say dem no dey bound by di treaty – meaning di agreement no be must for dem to follow, so dem go ahead to start to build di dam in March 2011 without tok-tok wit Egypt.

River Nile

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Di Nile flow through di Egyptian city of Aswan around 920km (570 miles) south of di capital Cairo

Dem quote Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi for September last year say if no be no be for di political gbege wey dey happun for im kontri, Ethiopia for no fit start to build di dam.

Ethiopia say one of di previous preconditions wey Egypt bin put for di agreement na make dem connect am to Aswan dam.

Ethiopia Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy, Seleshi Bekele tell BBC say im don explain to di Egyptians say e go “dey hard to connect di two dams”.

Egypt dey also fear say di dam fit stop dia already scarce supply of di Nile waters, wey be almost di only water source for im citizens.

E fit also affect transport on di Nile for Egypt if id water level too low and e go affect di livelihood of farmers wey dey depend on di water for irrigation.

Why Ethiopia want dat kain big dam?

Di $4bn (£3bn) dam dey for di centre of Ethiopia manufacturing and industrial dreams. Wen dem complete di project, dem go fit generate a massive 6,000 megawatts of electricity.

Ethiopia get plenti shortage of electricity, wit 65% of dia population no dey connected to di grid.

Di energy wey dem wan generate go dey enough to connect dia citizens and sell di surplus power to oda neighbouring kontris.

Di dam project no go rely on external funding but e go rely on goment bonds and private funds to pay for di project.

Antarctic river crossword clue and Ethiopia nile dam

BBC
Ethiopia dam map

Oda kontris go benefit from di project?

Yes. Neighbouring African kontris plus Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Djibouti and Eritrea dey likely to benefit from di power wey dem go generate from di dam.

Many of dis kontris no get beta power supply.

Nile river dam

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Ethiopia hope say dem go finish di dam in 2020

For Sudan na added advantage say di flow of di river go dey regulated and e go reduce di flood wey di kontri dey suffer from around August and September evri year.

Di kasala ontop di Dam fit lead to war?

Fears bin dey say if dem no resolve di kasala, di kontris dem fit begin fight.

For 2013, e get reports of one secret recording wey show di Egyptian politicians dey propose different hostile acts against Ethiopia over di building of di dam.

Dem don also quote President Sisi say im tok say Egypt go take all di necessary measures to protect dia rights to di Nile waters.

For October last year, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed tell MPs sya “no force” fit stop Ethiopia from building di dam.

Di International Crisis Group warn last year say di kontris “fit enta battle” on top di dam.

Di fact say di US don chook mouth for di mata show say e dey serious – and di need to break di deadlock.

Egypt ask for di intervention of di US on di impasse, afta President Sisi ask President Trump to settle di conflict, and Ethiopia bin no wan accept.

Conflict between di two states fit draw global interest as e go put millions of civilians at risk.

E go also threaten di vital international trade route through di Suez Canal and along di Horn of Africa, according to analysis by di Washington Institute.