Friday March 29th, 2024
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US Scientists Fear Ethiopia's Grand Dam May Cause the Mediterranean to Flood Egypt's Nile Delta

A new US study suggests that the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam could put, the 80 percent of the Egyptian population that live in the Nile Delta region, at risk of being flooded by the Mediterranean.

Staff Writer

According to a recent multi-year study published by the reputable Geological Society of America, vast areas of the Nile Delta could possibly drown under the Mediterranean by the end of the century, which would be a direct impact of the highly controversial Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile, Global Construction Review reports.

The Ethiopian dam is expected to reduce water flow into the delta by up to 25%, which could bring the Nile Delta's level down to that of the Mediterranean's (which is just 1 meter less), causing drowning of massive areas of the Delta region, and will also end the Delta's capability to produce electricity. 

The scientists behind the study, Jean-Daniel Stanley and Pablo L. Clemente are urging regional or global bodies to intervene and subject Ethiopia's project to some form of arbitration, citing the situation as 'delicate'.   

The EU wants to ensure that Ethiopia will be using the Grand Renaissance Dam solely for electricity production and not to use it for irrigation purposes said the head of the EU delegation to Sudan Jean-Michel Dumond. EU countries have called on Ethiopia to allow all Nile Basin Countries to benefit from the dam, said Dumond.

Ethiopia's pursuit of building a dam for electrical and irrigation purposes is not new, ex-President Hosni Mubarak threatened to blow the dam up with an airstrike or deploying commandos if it were built. On March 2nd Ethiopia announced that it had foiled an attack by Eritrean-backed rebels who targeted the Grand Renaissance. Uganda, South Sudan, Eritrea, and Egypt have all voiced opposition to the construction of the dam.

Photo: NASA