In fact, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is only starting to store water this month, reports Daily News Egypt, citing Ethiopian officials. The water scarcity farmers have experienced to date has other causes: climate change and the demands of a growing population. “Nobody is telling farmers how to mitigate and adapt to climate change,” says Magda Ghoneim, a socio-economist and professor of agricultural development at Ain Shams University. A study recently published in Nature found that climate change is bringing greater variability in the Nile River flow this century compared to the last. Egypt’s five million feddans (21,000 square kilometres) of crops consume more than 85% of the country’s share of Nile water.

Source: Ethiopian News July 18, 2017 04:30 UTC