Egypt has changed its position on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), with Water Resources Minister Hani Sweilem demanding compensation from Ethiopia for harms to Egypt and Sudan. The statement came during a plenary session of the Egyptian Senate on Sunday.
Egypt has altered its approach to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), with Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sweilem calling for Ethiopia to compensate Egypt and Sudan for the damages inflicted. This demand was voiced during a plenary session of the Egyptian Senate on Sunday.
Sweilem emphasized that no dam of GERD's magnitude has ever been built unilaterally on the Nile River. He stated the project has already cut Egypt's Nile water allocation by 38 billion cubic meters, dropping it from the agreed 55 billion to just 17 billion cubic meters.
The minister noted Egypt's water needs have grown to 88.5 billion cubic meters annually, while its fixed share remains at 55.5 billion. “We reuse 23.2 billion cubic meters each year to close the gap, and treatment plants add another 4.8 billion cubic meters,” he explained. Egypt's per capita water availability has now sunk to 500 cubic meters—half the global average of 1,000 cubic meters per person.
This shift in rhetoric signals escalating tensions in the long-standing GERD dispute, potentially complicating ongoing talks between Ethiopia and downstream nations. Egypt's position draws on historical Nile agreements that prioritize its water rights.