Egypt trying to allay concerns over Ethiopian dam

Egypt's Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Hossam Moghazy said on Friday that Cairo is trying to allay its fears about the storage capacity of Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam and the expected impacts on Egypt's share of Nile water.

Ethiopia has changed its plan for the dam to reserve up to 72 billion cubic meters of the Nile water.

Cairo is coordinating efforts with Sudan and Ethiopia to take the edge off such concerns, the minister told a press conference in Khartoum.

The positive results of the dam's seventh round of talks have not relieved such fears, the minister said.

Egypt has provided two studies to Sudan and Ethiopia along with its suggestions to ease the effects of filling the dam's reservoir, he added.

Moghazy said that a Tripartite Technical Committee wrapped up talks in Khartoum after reaching a compromise to settle pending issues that were not handled in the previous round of talks, which was held in Cairo.

The compromise precisely sets 70 percent of tasks to the main French consultancy office and the remaining 30 percent to the subordinate Dutch office, he said.

The two offices will be required to submit a report to the committee that comprises 12 experts from Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.
Source: MENA