How many people died building Ethiopia’s dam?
An Ethiopian magazine caused a stir after it reported that at least 15,000 people may have diedduring the construction of the nearly $5 billion (€4.2 billion) over 14 years.
In an interview with DW, Ethiopian Water and Energy Minister Habtamu Itefa would neither confirm nor deny the claims.
“On the point about the numbers that are being quoted, the question is wrong, and the answer is also wrong. For information on this, you have to go to relevant institutions,” Itefa told DW.
Reported deaths include engineers and workers, security forces, drivers and residents who contributed to or supported the project in various ways.
Former GERD chief project manager Simegnew Bekele stands out as one of the prominent figures who died under unclear circumstances, with speculation that he may have been assassinated in connection with the dam construction in July 2018. Simegnew was found with a bullet wound in his car in central Addis Ababa.
The dam commissioning ceremony on September 9 is expected to draw dignitaries from across the continent, with invitations extended to Nile Basin countries and others, but Egypt and Sudan’s attendance is uncertain. The mega dam is expected to double Ethiopia’s electricity output.
How did Ethiopia fund the construction of the dam?
Due to the dam’s geopolitical sensitivity, did not receive any financial aid from major international lenders, such as the IMF, World Bank or even the African Development Bank (AfDB). To raise funds, Ethiopia issued government bonds, rallied public donations and even encouraged civil servants to contribute part of their salaries.
The project united Ethiopians across political, ethnic and economic divides, with millions contributing financially through bond purchases and donations.
Chinese loans helped set up auxiliary infrastructure like power transmission lines and turbines, but the core construction of the dam’s wall was entirely self-funded. The bold move to use internal funds gave the country full control over the dam and could be a model for other African countries.
“When some African countries come here, they ask how we mobilized society to crowdfund and build such a dam,” said Asfaw.
Who opposes the dam?
Downstream neighbors and have long raised concerns that the dam could severely impact their water supplies. Egypt, which relies almost entirely on the Nile for freshwater, fears GERD could reduce its share, posing what it calls
Despite years of negotiation, the three countries have yet to reach a water-sharing agreement.
However, Ethiopia has dismissed the claims, stating it has adhered to the 2015 Declaration of Principles signed by the three nations and has continually shared updates with neighboring countries.
“. Ethiopia is ready for any discussion,” Itefa told DW, adding that Ethiopia has shared the river flow data with Sudan in the past three years to build confidence with its neighbors.
“The international community should understand that to let our people have a better life, including our brother countries, Sudan and Egypt. It means a better life for everyone.”
Ethiopia has gained support from upstream countries such as Uganda, backing a regional accord for equitable water use, but Egypt and Sudan haven’t signed on.
“Our desire is that the negotiations can continue as long as they want, through the African Union. , and we are transitioning to operations,” Gedion Asfaw, Chair of the Technical Committee of the Ethiopian Negotiating Team, told DW.
“The negotiations will continue on the basis of fair and reasonable utilization.”
The 1959 Nile Waters Treaty
The 1959 Nile Waters Agreement, often called the Egypt-Sudan Agreement, was a bilateral deal between Egypt and Sudan.
Egypt currently bases its share of the river’s waters on the 1959 deal that gave it 55.5 billion cubic meters of water annually. Sudan allocated itself 18.5 billion cubic meters of the Nile waters.
The Blue Nile and White Nile merge in Sudan before flowing into Egypt and towards the Mediterranean.
Ethiopia, which is largely considered the source of the Blue Nile that contributes 85% of the river’s flow, was not included in the 1959 agreement. Addis Ababa does not recognize the treaty.
The White Nile, the longest branch of the Nile, flows through 11 countries, including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, DR Congo and South Sudan. These riparian countries were not independent in 1959 and were also excluded from the treaty.
The exclusion of Ethiopia and the other riparian states is one of the main to this day.
The dam site was first identified by the US Bureau of Reclamation during the Blue Nile survey, which was conducted between 1956 and 1964 during Emperor Haile Selassie’s reign.
However, due to the 1974 coup in Ethiopia, which overthrew Selassie, Somalia’s invasion of Ethiopia in 1977-78 and the 15-year Ethiopian Civil War, the project did not progress until the early 2000s. The Ethiopian government surveyed the site in October 2009 and August 2010.
A design for the dam was submitted in November 2010, and the $5 billion project was announced on March 31, 2011. Former Prime Minister Meles Zenawi laid GERD’s foundation stone on April 2, 2011.
Solomon Muchie in Addis Ababa contributed to this article
Edited by: Chrispin Mwakideu
The post Deaths, dollars, disputes: Ethiopia’s GERD mega dam appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
