ADDIS ABABA (ENA) - Water,
Irrigation and Energy Minister Sileshi Bekele has reiterated that the filling
of the second round of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) will go as
per the schedule.
Following the Meeting of Eastern
Nile Council of Ministers in Addis Ababa today, he said nothing will change
with regard to the filling of the dam as it goes along with the construction in
the coming rainy season.
"The second round filling
will continue and it has nothing do with any other issue. The level the
construction of the dam reaches in the coming rainy season will dictate the
filling," he explained. He further noted that "this is very clear to
all the three riparian countries. Nothing will change from that and we will
proceed accordingly."
Sudan Water Resources and Irrigation Minister, Yasir Abbas Mohammed said on his part that "Sudan has right from the beginning supported the GERD because it is the right of Ethiopia to make use of water." Mohammed stated that this has been the position of Sudan for the last 10 years. "We supported Ethiopia to generate hydropower at the same time to consider the downstream countries," the minister further elaborated.
South Sudan Water and Irrigation
Minister, Manawa Peter Gatkuoth pointed out that African solution for African
problem is the right procedure so as to find lasting agreement about GERD in a
sustainable manner. "We are calling on Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia to solve
the problem based on this procedure," he underscored, further adding that
the region needs stability as it is the most important thing at this time. It
is to be recalled that Ethiopia completed the first filling of the dam successfully
in July 2020 without hurting the downstream countries.
Read the original article on
Ethiopian Herald.
