DAM PICKLE

Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan: What next after GERD’s 3rd filling

By Sherif Tarek

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Posted on August 17, 2022 11:18

© View of the GERD after its third filling on 11 August 2022. (photo: @TayeAtske
Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to the UN) — View of the GERD after its third filling on 11 August 2022. (photo: @TayeAtske Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to the UN)

Unilaterally completing the third filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Ethiopia has further imposed its national project as a fait accompli, unfazed by incessant calls from downstream countries for coordination in filling and operating the $5bn dam.

The third filling last week took the amount of water that the hydropower dam holds up to 22 billion cubic metres – close to a third of its overall 74-billion-cubic-metre capacity – cementing a years-long status-quo that Egypt and Sudan say compromises their water interests.

“The reality is that the more advanced the project is, in terms of construction and

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