Nile| Sudan: Parliament briefed on Ethiopia’s dam benefits

Sudan Daily Vision reported today that:

The Minister of Water Resources and Electricity, Osama Abdallah, Tuesday briefed the National Assembly in a closed-door sitting, chaired by the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, on the Renaissance Dam project, in response to an inquiry made by the head of the Committee of the Agriculture and Waters Affairs of the assembly, Mohamed Mahmoud Issa.

The minister provided a detailed statement on the Renaissance Dam project, its components, the volume of its water and the level of coordination between the three states of Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia.

He reviewed the technical and engineering designs of the dam, asserting that the Ethiopian dams established on the Blue Nile have great benefits for Sudan in addition to increasing the electricity generated from the existing dams.

He said that the Renaissance Dam would also increase the irrigated areas and reduce the amount of silt and evaporation at the Roseiris Dam and the High Dam.

He called for the maximum use of Sudan’s water share from the River Nile and the enhancing of the storage capacity.

The Minister said that the establishment of the dam will contribute to supporting the spirit of mutual cooperation between Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia at the political, security and economic levels, affirming the importance of boosting the eternal relations between the three countries for the benefit of their people.

It is to be recalled that President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir re-affrimed Sudan’s support in his speech at the Sudanese ruling party meeting last week. Sudan Tribune reported on June 22 that:

In his first public endorsement for the controversial Ethiopian renaissance dam, Bashir said that the dam “will not stop the water from Egypt” and added that it will only be used for electricity generation, calling for continuation of consultation among all concerned parties.

He acknowledged the “sensitivity” of the water issue for Egypt, saying that Sudan and Egypt’s water shares will not be impacted during the dam filling period.

***********

Related: Westerners unrderreport Sudan’s bravery, Egypt’s belligerency