Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam is seen as it undergoes construction work on the river Nile in Guba Woreda, Benishangul Gumuz Region, Ethiopia September 26, 2019. [Reuters]Egypt's irrigation minister said on Monday he had received official notice from Ethiopia that it had begun filling the reservoir behind its giant hydropower dam, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), for a second year. Ethiopia says the dam on its Blue Nile is crucial to its economic development and providing power to its population. Egypt views the dam as a grave threat to its Nile water supplies, on which it is almost entirely dependent. The diplomatic push intensified ahead of the first filling of the dam with last summer, and again in recent weeks.

Source: Standard Digital July 06, 2021 00:56 UTC