Ethiopia lays foundation stone of new dam amid stalled GERD talks
As yet another round of negotiations falters between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Addis Ababa announced the beginning of construction of a new smaller dam on the Blue Nile Basin.
CAIRO — Ethiopia’s Minister of Water and Irrigation Seleshi Bekele Awulachew announced Jan. 9 that the foundation stone of a new dam was laid on the Agma River, a small river in the Blue Nile Basin, in the Amhara Region, north of the capital Addis Ababa.
According to a report by Sky News Arabia quoting the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation, the dam, dubbed Agma-Shasha, will be built in northern Shewa in the Amhara Region, and will be 45.5 meters (149 feet) high and 371 meters (1,217 feet) long, with a storage capacity of up to 55 million cubic meters.
Ethiopia is scheduled to finish construction within three years, at an estimated cost of $125 million. The project will allow it to develop 7,000 hectares (17,300 acres) of land, which would benefit 28,000 families.
The dam’s construction will be implemented by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation in cooperation with the Amhara Water Work Construction Enterprise.
