Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam Provides Silver Lining for Sudan

Unprecedented flooding in Sudan this year led to the deaths of more than 100 people and affected 875,000 others. Entire residential neighbourhoods were destroyed while power and water supplies were disrupted when the River Nile recorded its highest level in living memory. Some experts said that if the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, upstream on the Blue Nile tributary, had been fully operational, the effect on Sudan would have been less disastrous. Salman Mohamed, a Sudanese expert on international water law and policy, says Egypt’s Aswan dam shows how flood waters can be regulated effectively on The Nile. Sudan wants to have a peaceful resolution as it can see the benefits of the mega dam – not only in terms of regulating flood water, which is often a problem. According to Dr Mohamed, it will also enable Sudan’s own dams to generate more electricity as well as buying cheap and clean electricity from Ethiopia. He says it will also allow for three growing seasons – at the moment crops are harvested around October or November – but if the flow is regulated, farmers will be able to plant and irrigate more often.

SOURCE: BBC