The Egyptian Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Mohamed Abdel-Aty said Sunday that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has technical problems and incomplete studies, which will hamper its attempts at a second filling. Ethiopia withheld water from Sudan during the first filling which could have been postponed, he said, and when Ethiopia opened the lower gates of the dam it polluted Sudan’s water. He said that in just one year, Ethiopia caused droughts, floods and pollution in Sudan’s water. The Arab League Council held an extraordinary meeting this month in Doha over the GERD, and the league called on the UN Security Council to meet on the matter. Egypt and Sudan say they want a legally binding agreement on filling and operating the GERD, while Ethiopia is trying to evade a binding agreement.

Source: Egypt Independent June 21, 2021 14:03 UTC