Africa used to be a place where governments were often accused of sleeping at the wheel, but Ethiopia has made a point of not being deemed one of them. Desperation often times necessitates the speed of innovation and progress. The cost of that innovation and progress, as with most innovative measures undertaken by nation States […]
Ethiopia has underscored its right to dam the Nile River and contends that that right is based upon the Harmon Doctrine, which the United Nation states is a State’s unlimited use of the waters from a transboundary watercourse that is located within its national borders. Without consensus disagreements about the consumption of transboundary water coupled with Ethiopia’s reliance on that Doctrine, States such as Egypt face serious consequences because it is geographically located downstream from its major source of water, which can potentially impact that State’s agricultural industry and possibly reduce the amount of drinking water available for its citizen.
Egypt gets 95% of its water from the Blue Nile, which is one of two major tributaries of the Nile River. The Other major tributary is the White River which originates in Uganda. Egypt is concerned that the diversion of that water via a Dam will affect the flow of the Nile River water to Egypt, which it disparately needs to sustain itself. The Dam is 20% complete and is expected to cost $4.2 billion to complete. Ethiopia states that it needs that Dam to help generate the necessary hydropower to grow its economy.