Introduction
Now conflicts are taking place for one of the most important resources that are considered the key for almost everything in life, from food to generating electricity which we’re talking about water.
Here we’re going to talk about the “Renaissance Dam” where many countries are facing each other to benefit from the Nile River where they all share its water.
Despite one party’s commitment to have an agreement with the other two countries downstream of the Nile River (Egypt and Sudan), it stands out in filling the “Renaissance Dam” reservoir for the fourth time in a row, without regulating the filling and operating processes, which may amount to a deduction from a quarter of (Egypt's) water quota annually.
Certainly, the collections of estimates about the flood, and the amount of filling the operating programs, are data intended to be shared by all three countries (or at least this is how it should be since no one can block others to benefit from the water).
In mid-July, Ethiopia began the fourth filling of the giant hydroelectric dam, which it has been building since 2011.
**What is that supposed to mean? **
So here we can notice that the amount that Ethiopia succeeds in filling is the amount of the deduction from Egypt’s water share. Egypt's share is estimated at 55.5 billion cubic meters annually, on which it depends more than 97 percent to meet its water needs (any cutting off its share of water would be disastrous).
Although a portion of the detained Ethiopian water will return to flow into the Nile River with the operation of the electricity turbines that will only lead to increased negative impacts on the two downstream countries.
So, it’s essential to sign a legal agreement regulating the process of filling and operating the dam, which threatens to reduce water supplies to the two countries, as well as causing other environmental and economic damage.
While Ethiopia defends its “right to development and to generate the electricity that its people need.” It is possible that the High Dam (southern Egypt) can temporarily compensate for the difference in water, but the High Dam’s stock “will eventually decrease”.
Some of the expected damage to Egypt as a result of the Ethiopian dam has become clear, for example, “the dam’s giant lake will store about 70 billion cubic meters of water upon its completion, Which will lead to a decrease in Egypt’s share, effecting farmlands and nutritional cycle, moreover it will also cause a decrease in electricity generation from the High Dam.
In the absence of an agreement regulating the rules for filling and operating the dam, the project may lead to an accumulated water deficit in Egypt Which in turn will contribute to reducing access to clean drinking water, deprive millions of workers in the agricultural sector of the water needed to irrigate their lands, and destroy thousands of acres of agricultural land.
Conclusion
Here we find that benefiting from water resources with the increasing global need for them in terms of securing drinking water, irrigating agricultural lands, and generating energy will be a very positive step for the beneficiary, but its harm will also be disastrous for other parties.
These decisions issued by central governments will only lead to more confusion and conflicts instead of being a source of benefit for all parties.
On the other hand, Decentralization is always the solution where it can build trust and increase adaptability by building strong institutions and preventing capture by elites.
By working together, Nile Basin countries can develop a decentralized water management system that benefits all.