CAIRO — Egypt is fining farmers for wasting water as Ethiopia approaches the second phase of the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), built on one of the main tributaries of the Nile River, which Cairo fears will affect its share of water.
On Jan. 28, the Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Mohamed Abdel-Aty, instructed the ministry’s agencies to begin collecting fines for wasting water from farmers who fail to adhere to modern irrigation systems.