Ethiopians want more from sacred Nile waters
26 September, 2010 | By Aaron Maasho
--------------------------------------------------------------------
trough with water for the throngs of white-cloaked men and women
who have been queuing since the early hours in this town 400
kilometres (250 miles) north of Addis Ababa.
The sparkling stream in Gish Abay spills first into Lake Tana then
makes its way towards Sudan as the Blue Nile. There, the river joins
the White Nile in Khartoum before draining into Egypt's
Mediterranean coast, spanning in all nearly 6,000 kilometres.
"But look around you, there is nothing here. The big river doesn't feed
us," Berhanu says, his voice almost drowned out by the nearby
bathers.
It is a sentiment that has echoed for centuries in Ethiopia: while the
land where the Nile originates is constantly ravaged by drought,
downstream countries get the full benefit of its water.
In the Amhara region where 85 percent of the Nile's flow stems from,
some 850,000 people are dependent on food aid, according to the
UN.
Crops only grow here when it rains -- in sharp contrast to the situation
downstream in Egypt, where vast commercial farms and even lush golf
courses flank the river.
In an attempt to change this state of affairs, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda,
Tanzania and Uganda, all upstream -- and poorer -- countries, signed
a new pact this year which they say will ensure equitable use.
Under the treaty, Addis Ababa intends to tap its water resources to
build dams and export power to neighboring countries, while also
setting up irrigation projects to curb famine.
But Egypt and Sudan, both almost completely dependent on the Nile,
say upstream projects would drastically reduce the river's flow and
have refused to give up a drop of water.
"They have said the issue is a matter of their national security ... same
goes for us," Ethiopia's water resources minister Asfaw Dingamo told
AFP.
"For a long time we have applied for loans in order to be able to
utilise our resources, only to be turned down because of Egyptian and
Sudanese objections," he added.
Ethiopia has now decided to self fund its projects, claiming they will
not harm the interests of other countries.
"Our stretch of the Nile has the potential to generate 10,000
megawatts and 1.1 million hectares (2.7 million acres) for irrigation.
Our current usage on power is only 0.45 percent of the Nile's flow,"
said Fekahmed Negash, an expert at the ministry.
"Even if we were able to develop all that land, we would be using only
10 percent of the flow. Our plan at the moment is six percent in 50
years time."
"I don't think the downstream (countries) are justified. A legal
framework ... is usually what any downstream riparian in a
transboundary basin would dream about," Ana Cascao, project
manager at the Stockholm International Water Institute, told AFP.
"The downstream riparians do not have this perception because they
already have bilateral legal agreements that allocate the Nile's waters,"
she added.
At the heart of the dispute is a 1929 agreement between Cairo and
colonial Britain which gave Egypt veto power over upstream projects.
Another deal between Egypt and Sudan in 1959 allowed Egypt 55.5
billion cubic metres of water each year -- 87 percent of the Nile's
flow -- and Sudan 18.5 billion cubic metres.
Cairo's inflexibility, coupled with past attempted invasions to take
control of the source, rankles with locals here.
"They (Egypt) have always been our enemies. They do a lot of things
to harm my country," said Frew Terefe, a 20-year old university
student from Gish Abay.
Officials here also accuse Egypt of supporting insurgent groups to
foment instability, while at times the two countries have seemed on the
verge of conflict on the issue.
"If Egypt were to plan to stop Ethiopia from utilising Nile waters it
would have to occupy Ethiopia and no country on earth has done that
in the past," Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told reporters a few years
back.
Experts nowadays prefer to highlight the mutual benefit the new treaty
can ensure.
"The ideal scenario is one whereby the Nile Basin will be not only a
hydrological unit, but also a political and economic unit wherein, by
cooperating, the countries will be able to invest and implement
projects that will benefit all countries," Cascao says.
Mekuanint Nigussie, a 22-year old student from Gish Abay, has
similar views.
"There is always room for cooperation. We don't want them to starve
while we build our country."
Courtesy
26 September, 2010 | By Aaron Maasho
--------------------------------------------------------------------
- Here in the shadow of Mount
Gish, the spring water that
forms the Blue Nile is
believed to have healing
powers, but Ethiopians say
that is the only benefit they get
from the mighty river.
"These waters are sacred,
they perform miracles for the
trough with water for the throngs of white-cloaked men and women
who have been queuing since the early hours in this town 400
kilometres (250 miles) north of Addis Ababa.
The sparkling stream in Gish Abay spills first into Lake Tana then
makes its way towards Sudan as the Blue Nile. There, the river joins
the White Nile in Khartoum before draining into Egypt's
Mediterranean coast, spanning in all nearly 6,000 kilometres.
"But look around you, there is nothing here. The big river doesn't feed
us," Berhanu says, his voice almost drowned out by the nearby
bathers.
It is a sentiment that has echoed for centuries in Ethiopia: while the
land where the Nile originates is constantly ravaged by drought,
downstream countries get the full benefit of its water.
In the Amhara region where 85 percent of the Nile's flow stems from,
some 850,000 people are dependent on food aid, according to the
UN.
Crops only grow here when it rains -- in sharp contrast to the situation
downstream in Egypt, where vast commercial farms and even lush golf
courses flank the river.
In an attempt to change this state of affairs, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda,
Tanzania and Uganda, all upstream -- and poorer -- countries, signed
a new pact this year which they say will ensure equitable use.
Under the treaty, Addis Ababa intends to tap its water resources to
build dams and export power to neighboring countries, while also
setting up irrigation projects to curb famine.
But Egypt and Sudan, both almost completely dependent on the Nile,
say upstream projects would drastically reduce the river's flow and
have refused to give up a drop of water.
"They have said the issue is a matter of their national security ... same
goes for us," Ethiopia's water resources minister Asfaw Dingamo told
AFP.
"For a long time we have applied for loans in order to be able to
utilise our resources, only to be turned down because of Egyptian and
Sudanese objections," he added.
Ethiopia has now decided to self fund its projects, claiming they will
not harm the interests of other countries.
"Our stretch of the Nile has the potential to generate 10,000
megawatts and 1.1 million hectares (2.7 million acres) for irrigation.
Our current usage on power is only 0.45 percent of the Nile's flow,"
said Fekahmed Negash, an expert at the ministry.
"Even if we were able to develop all that land, we would be using only
10 percent of the flow. Our plan at the moment is six percent in 50
years time."
"I don't think the downstream (countries) are justified. A legal
framework ... is usually what any downstream riparian in a
transboundary basin would dream about," Ana Cascao, project
manager at the Stockholm International Water Institute, told AFP.
"The downstream riparians do not have this perception because they
already have bilateral legal agreements that allocate the Nile's waters,"
she added.
At the heart of the dispute is a 1929 agreement between Cairo and
colonial Britain which gave Egypt veto power over upstream projects.
Another deal between Egypt and Sudan in 1959 allowed Egypt 55.5
billion cubic metres of water each year -- 87 percent of the Nile's
flow -- and Sudan 18.5 billion cubic metres.
Cairo's inflexibility, coupled with past attempted invasions to take
control of the source, rankles with locals here.
"They (Egypt) have always been our enemies. They do a lot of things
to harm my country," said Frew Terefe, a 20-year old university
student from Gish Abay.
Officials here also accuse Egypt of supporting insurgent groups to
foment instability, while at times the two countries have seemed on the
verge of conflict on the issue.
"If Egypt were to plan to stop Ethiopia from utilising Nile waters it
would have to occupy Ethiopia and no country on earth has done that
in the past," Prime Minister Meles Zenawi told reporters a few years
back.
Experts nowadays prefer to highlight the mutual benefit the new treaty
can ensure.
"The ideal scenario is one whereby the Nile Basin will be not only a
hydrological unit, but also a political and economic unit wherein, by
cooperating, the countries will be able to invest and implement
projects that will benefit all countries," Cascao says.
Mekuanint Nigussie, a 22-year old student from Gish Abay, has
similar views.
"There is always room for cooperation. We don't want them to starve
while we build our country."
Courtesy
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