Ethiopia has prepared a comprehensive response to a complaint by Egypt about the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Egypt submitted the complaint to the UN Security Council last week as part of a massive international campaign to stop Ethiopia from filling the $5-billion hydro dam on the Nile. Egypt claims the dam would reduce the flow of Nile waters downstream while Ethiopia maintains it needs the dam for national development as well as regional electricity interconnection. Ethiopia started this mega dam project realizing that meeting electricity infrastructure is critical to the sustainable development of a country, Seleshi said. The minister pointed out that filling of the dam will be managed without causing significant harm to the downstream countries; and Ethiopia respects the fair and rational water management guideline. According to Seleshi, the downstream riparian countries have been given sufficient briefings and explanations beginning from the start of the construction of the dam, he said, adding that “the questions raised not only contradict the rights of the country to development but also lack scientific basis.”
SOURCE: ANADOLU AGENCY