GERD Enters Final Phase, Ethiopian Deputy PM Says

On 6 January 2024, Wardheer News reported that construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has entered its final phase, according to Ethiopia's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen. Mekonnen, who chairs the GERD Executive Committee Coordinating National Council, said the dam has reached 94.6 percent completion.

Wardheer News also reported that satellite images taken on Thursday corroborate Mekonnen's statements. The images reveal Ethiopia began raising the height of one of the GERD's spillways, located in the centre of the dam. However, the report does not independently verify the official completion figure.

Abbas Sharaki, professor of geology and water resources at Cairo University, told Al-Arabiya that water stopped flowing over the spillway on 15 December after two drainage gates were opened. Sharaki also said the water reserve in the dam lake decreased by more than one billion cubic metres to less than 40 billion cubic metres.

The report adds that the fourth and final round of tripartite talks between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia over the dam unsuccessfully concluded in December. Egypt's Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources blamed the failure on Ethiopia's persistent rejection of proposed technical or legal solutions, and highlighted Ethiopia's consistent backtracking on previously agreed-upon understandings.

Wardheer News notes the talks were the first since African Union-sponsored negotiations collapsed in April 2021. Egypt, which relies mainly on the Nile for its water needs, fears the dam will harm its already scarce water supply. Egypt's annual share of water is 560 cubic metres per person, according to cabinet figures, below the UN threshold for water scarcity of 1,000 cubic metres per person.