Will Egypt run out of water?
How will Cairo manage the risk of endangering its historic water share following the failure of the Egyptian and Ethiopian negotiations on the construction of the Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile?
CAIRO — Egypt is facing a fait accompli after its minister of water resources and irrigation, Mohamed Abdel Ati, announced Nov. 12 the failure of negotiations with Ethiopia and Sudan to agree on the most appropriate mechanism for filling and operating the Renaissance Dam without harming Egypt.
Egypt is concerned about the dam's potential negative effects on its water share of the Nile River — 55.5 billion cubic meters (bcm) annually, as stipulated in the 1929 and 1959 agreements. The Nile provides Egypt with about 97% of its total water needs, while the remaining 3% is supplied by low rainfall on the northern coast and in the Sinai Peninsula, and by non-renewable groundwater.
