Egypt has shifted its public stance on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), with the country’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Hani Sweilem, demanding that the dam pay compensation for the damage it has caused to Egypt and Sudan.
Speaking during a plenary session of the Egyptian Senate on Sunday, Minister Sweilem said that no dam of GERD’s scale has ever been constructed on the Nile River through unilateral action. He claimed the dam has already reduced Egypt’s share of Nile water by 38 billion cubic meters from its allocated 55 billion cubic meters.
According to Sweilem, Egypt’s water demand has now risen to 88.5 billion cubic meters, while its allocated share remains at 55.5 billion cubic meters. “We reuse 23.2 billion cubic meters annually to bridge the water gap, and treatment plants contribute an additional 4.8 billion cubic meters,” he said, adding that Egypt’s per capita water share has fallen to 500 cubic meters—half the global average of 1,000 cubic meters per person.
