Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Hani Sweilem, on Sunday demanded that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) pay compensation for the damage it has caused to Egypt and Sudan. During his participation in the Senate’s plenary session, the Minister added that no dam of the size of the Ethiopian dam has ever been built on the Nile River through unilateral action. The damage it has already incurred is the reduction of 38 billion cubic meters from Egypt’s share of 55 billion cubic meters, he explained. Sweilem revealed that the demand for water has risen to 88.5 billion cubic meters, while Egypt’s water share is 55.5 billion cubic meters. “We reuse 23.2 billion cubic meters annually to bridge the water gap, and treatment plants add 4.8 billion cubic meters,” he said, noting that the per capita share has decreased to 500 cubic meters, compared to the global average of 1,000 cubic meters per capita.

Source: Egypt Independent January 19, 2026 09:28 UTC