Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam

Transboundary rivers have been a source of conflict but of cooperation across the 🌎, even among states with a history of animosity/conflict. The Indus water treaty (🇮🇳- 🇵🇰) provided a framework for irrigation & hydropower dvlpmt for 1/2 a century. #GERD4A

The Niger River Basin covers an area of 2.13 million km2 and is home to over 130 million people in nine countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria #GERD4All #ColorsOfUnity

🇪🇹 maintains the principle of equitable & reasonable utilization and an interpretation of the principle (Intnl Water Law) that strengthens the right of each riparian to develop and use the water resources of a shared river in spite of preexisting uses. #

Ethiopia follows the principle of equitable/reasonable utilization. Egypt expects the uninterrupted flow of the Nile from upstream countries which is in sharp contrast with the equitable and reasonable use principle. #GERD4All #EthiopiaRising

The Niger River basin & its ecosystems provide for activities & livelihoods of ~ 160 mil ppl. The Water-Energy-Food Nexus approach addresses complexities of water, energy, & food security to safeguard & protect natural resources #GERD4All p

Ethiopia's leadership in equitable water use will be the principle that will be the model for African nations with transboundary water resources. #GERD4All

Water resource cooperation has been a core issue between Israel and Jordan. But their agreement based on understanding of mutual interests cooperation to survive the tremendous challenges to water & national security that the climate crisis presents. #GER

Transboundary waters are abundant, > than 276 shared rivers & lakes across the 🌎 account for 80% of freshwater, 50% of the world’s surface. 40% of the 🌎 popln depends on them 4 basic water needs. There is also abundant wisdom/knowledge to manage them. #GE

Exemplary cooperation: In 1986 🇱🇸 & 🇿🇦 agreed that 🇱🇸 would provide water to 🇿🇦 while producing hydropower from its dam while 🇿🇦 would pay royalties for the water it gets from 🇱🇸 . a trend that led to the building of numerous joint dams in the region.

The Yukon River inter-tribal council (YRITWC) is a community of interest with significant authority on the Yukon River Basin shared by the 🇺🇸 & 🇨🇦. It shows the next phase practice of incorporating indigenous knowledge & ppl in transboundary H2O governanc

The Orange Senqu River Basin, shared by 🇧🇼, 🇳🇦, 🇱🇸, 🇿🇦 can teach us exemplary practices; From an inclusive river basin org including all riparian countries such as the Orange-Senqu River Commission (ORASECOM) to adopting & abiding by int'l principles. #G

The '59 Nile Treaty allocates the entire annual flow of the Nile (84 BCM, measured @ Aswan High Dam) betn 🇸🇩 (55.5 BCM which it considers its "historic right") & 🇪🇬 (18.5 BCM), and left the 10 BCM for evaporation, 0 to 🇪🇹 -z Nile's main contributor. #GERD

#GERD benefits 🇪🇹 by generating forex from sale of surplus electricity to external markets (Kenya, Sudan, & Egypt) because its production capacity will exceed short-term domestic demand. Power trade assures its financial viability in the near future #GERD

The 2015 Declaration of Principles that 🇸🇩 , 🇪🇬, & 🇪🇹 signed, provides a framework for further negotiation on the filling & annual operation of the dam. The DoP reflects 🇸🇩’s recognition of the importance of the Nile River to Ethiopia’s dvlpmt. #GERD4All

Approval of World Bank funding, subject to requirement that client countries receive a non-objection to the project from affected co-basin states was a major impediment that Ethiopia overcame by self financing the #GERD. #GERD4All

🇸🇩 has used the non-objection policy to deny/permanently delay & block funding (🌎 Bank) & donors for investments in large h20 resources infrastructure in the upstream riparians, in particular for projects that would involve consumptive water use, such as

The 10-point "Declaration of Principles” is the first time that 🇸🇩 & 🇪🇹 have reached agreement on a meaningful element of Nile water management. It thus represents a clear break with the past. #GERD4All

#GERD benefits 🇪🇹 with a reliable supply of cheap electricity that would promote its growth & econ dvlpmt. Despite the large upfront invst, hydropower, with its low prodn cost is the preferred electricity source. It is renewable and pollution-free. #GERD

Power import from 🇪🇹 would help 🇪🇬 reduce the need to build new hydropower facilities on the Nile, options financially less attractive than purchasing cheap power form 🇪🇹, prevent evaporation losses & free up finances 4 other productive purposes #GERD4

Because of the extra storage capacity on the Blue Nile, 🇸🇩 gains flexibility & resilience in times of prolonged drought (such as the 1989) 7-year-drought that almost exhausted the storage available in Lake Nasser in the Nile region. #GERD4All

Ethiopia could actually fill the GERD in 2-3 yrs but made the concession to fill it in 4-7. Egypt's demand 4 an extnded time frame & its insistence in getting invlvd in its operation is unacceptable on technical, economic, & national sovereignty grounds.

The principal obstacle to the GERD negotiations is the colonial and 1959 Nile Treaties (colonial Nile Waters Treaties) which allowed Egypt to establish hydro-hegemony in the Nile Basin to the detriment of Ethiopia's interest. #GERD4All

Koysha is a step forward in the development of the entire hydropower potential of the Omo river and represents a realization of the large-scale vision started many years ago. #GERD4All

Koysha dam under construction is expected to generate 2’160 MW, It is the fourth hydropower plant of Omo/Gibe river cascade in Ethiopia, comprising Gilgel Gibe (200 MW), Gibe II (420 MW) and Gibe III (1’870 MW), all currently in operation. #GERD4All