Egypt accuses Ethiopia of ‘reckless’ dam management behind Nile floods, warns of threat to lives

CAIRO/ISTANBUL

Egypt on Friday accused Ethiopia of acting "recklessly and irresponsibly" in managing the Nile flood through unilateral dam operations, saying the moves have exacerbated flooding in Sudan and pose a direct threat to Egyptian land and lives amid a long-running dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

The issue is "the Nile flood and Ethiopia's unilateral management of its dam in violation of international law," according to a statement issued by Egypt's Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation.

The ministry said it has been monitoring this year's Nile flood developments and linked them to "reckless unilateral measures by Ethiopia in operating its illegal dam, which violates international law."

It affirmed that “these practices lack the most basic principles of responsibility and transparency and represent a direct threat to the lives and security of the peoples of the downstream states.”

The ministry added that such practices “expose beyond doubt the falsehood of Ethiopia’s repeated claims of causing no harm and confirm that they are nothing but political exploitation of water at the expense of lives and regional security.”

It noted: “The sudden convergence of large and unexpected water volumes (flowing from the Ethiopian dam) at this time of year, along with delayed and irregular rainfall inside Sudan, as well as the White Nile’s levels rising above normal, led to a sudden increase in water quantities that flooded agricultural lands and submerged many Sudanese villages.”

There had been no immediate response from Ethiopia as of 1730GMT.

Egypt activates precautionary measures

Egyptian authorities have announced the implementation of precautionary measures to combat rising Nile River levels and flooding of lands along its banks, amid an ongoing dispute between Egypt and Sudan on one side and Ethiopia on the other over the filling and operation of the Ethiopian dam on the Nile.

The move was announced in government statements a day after Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly warned about the consequences of Nile flooding.

During a meeting on Thursday, Madbouly said the government expects water levels in the Nile to continue rising through the end of October with the flood and rainy season.

Madbouly added that some areas, particularly in the northern governorates of Monufia and Beheira, would be inundated, according to local media.

In a Friday statement, the Beheira Governorate in northern Egypt directed relevant departments to increase their level of alert and readiness, take immediate preventive measures, and survey all riverbank lands along the Nile to reduce the risks of rising water levels.

Similarly, local authorities in the Monufia governorate towns of Ashmoun and Menouf issued separate statements on Friday warning that "citizens and farmers residing on riverbank lands, as well as those living in houses built along the Nile's branch, must evacuate those areas immediately."

On Friday morning, local media reported that floodwaters from the Nile had submerged a number of homes and riverbank lands in Dalhamou, Ashmoun District.

These Egyptian measures are in response to Sudan's recent flooding, which coincided with the annual flood season and was caused by Ethiopia, the upstream state, opening the gates of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam without prior coordination with downstream states Egypt and Sudan, according to media reports.

On Wednesday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said that “lack of coordination regarding dam operations has led to massive flooding in Sudan in recent weeks,” stressing that “Ethiopia’s unilateral moves concerning the dam constitute a violation of international law.”

His remarks, made before meeting Sudan’s Sovereignty Council chairman in Port Sudan on Wednesday, also included a warning that “Egypt fully retains its right, guaranteed under international law, to defend its existential interests and water rights by all means and tools if these existential interests face any threat or harm.”

The Ethiopian government inaugurated the GERD on the Blue Nile on Sept. 9 after 14 years of construction, a project that has long been disputed by downstream nations Egypt and Sudan over its filling and operation.