Ethiopian Corp. Builds $74 Million New Dam

The Ethiopian Construction Works Corporation concluded an agreement to execute the Kaza dam and other related projects worth 2.5 billion Ethiopian birr (Nearly 74 U.S. dollar), according to the Ethiopian state-own news agency. 

The Ethiopian Irrigation Development Commission has awarded on Tuesday construction of irrigation facilities to three contractors; Ethiopian Construction Works Corporation, Sur Construction plc and Afar Water Works Construction Enterprise.

The Kaza dam and irrigation development facility will be built in Tigray regional state, according to Ethiopian local media. 

The new dam is expected to be constructed within four years with a 57m height and a length of 2.54 km. It has the capacity to develop 10,000 hectares of land and benefit more than 20,000 farmers.

Ethiopian GERD Dispute 

It’s noteworthy that Egypt has referred its dispute with Ethiopia over a controversial dam on the Nile to the U.N. Security Council in an escalation of tensions between the two countries over the issue.

On one side, Ethiopia sees the nearly-completed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) as necessary for its future development while Egyptians, on other side, fear that it could deprive of them of the water they need to live.

On Wednesday night, Egypt’s foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry, sent a letter to the U.N. Security Council’s president and members of the Security Council complaining about Ethiopia’s failure to reach agreement with Egypt about the dam’s operation.

[caption id="attachment_89671" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Shoukry Took Part in Tripartite Meeting over GERD[/caption]

In the meantime, Ethiopian news agency Ethiopian Insider said that it had seen the draft of the letter, which was 15 pages long.

"Ethiopia's unilateral filling of GERD before reaching a final agreement with downstream countries on the rules governing the filling and dam operation is inconsistent with the spirit of cooperation between co-riparian countries that share an international watercourse and amounts to material breach of Ethiopia's legal obligations", the Ethiopian news agency quoted the letter as saying.

The letter was also referred to in an Egyptian foreign ministry statement about a telephone call between Shoukry and Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu whose country currently chairs the U.N. Security Council.

[caption id="attachment_88543" align="aligncenter" width="700"] The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).[/caption]

Last March, the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Ethiopia rejected the resolution adopted earlier by the League of the Arab States (LAS) over the issue of the Ethiopian GERD, according to al-Arabiya satellite channel.

The Arab ministers affirmed their refusal to prejudice the historical rights of Egypt and Sudan in the waters of the Nile or harm their interests, stressing that the water security of Egypt and Sudan is an integral part of the Arab national security. 

Moreover, they stressed the solidarity of the LAS member states with Egypt and Sudan in facing the risks, impacts and potential threats to fill and operate the GERD without reaching a fair and balanced agreement with Ethiopia on the rules for filling and operating the dam.

[caption id="attachment_120508" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Arab League Secretary-General[/caption]

The Arab ministers also stressed the need for Ethiopia to adhere to the principles of international law.

Late February, the Sudanese Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources announced that Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia have received a draft agreement from the U.S. Treasury on the mechanisms of filling and operating the GERD, which has been under negotiation among the three countries for more than six years.

Since last November, the United States and the World Bank interfered as mediators to resolve the differences among the three countries over the GERD.

Ethiopia has been building the Renaissance Dam, since 2001, at a cost of $6 billion on the Blue Nile, the main branch of the Nile. The dam raises the concerns of Sudan and Egypt in terms of influencing their supply of Nile water.