Catastrophic impacts of the fourth GERD filling, completed a few days ago, have been detected in Sudan and Egypt.
Altaghyeer: Agencies
Satellite imagegs have shown for the first time a decrease in the Blue Nile waters in Sudan and drying banks as one of the
catastrophic impacts of the fourth GERD filling, said Egyptian expert Dr Abbas Sharaqy.
Sharaqy affirmed that the Blue Nile flooding will stop for ever because GERD will continue holding back all excess waters that causes flooding during the coming years.
The Egyptian expert explained stoppage of the Blue Nile flooding will force millions of Sudanese farmers to abandon flood agriculture to irrigated farming which requires canals digging, water pumping machines and use of chemical fertilisers a matter that will increase costs of farming.
He said the fourth filling is catastrophic because in only one year 24 billion cubic meters of water were stored in the Dam. This quantity equals about 130% of the Sudan’s quota and 45% of Egypt’s quota.
Millions of Sudanese farmers in the flood-irrigated agricultural sector have missed this season due to the drought of the areas surrounding the Blue Nile, Sharaqy said.
Egypt initially lost 24 billion cubic meters of water due to the GERD fourth filling, the expert said.
The second round of negotiations between Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia on the Dam crisis ended last Sunday in Addis Ababa without a conclusion of a trilaterally binding agreement on GERD filling and operation.
A third round will be held in Cairo, Egypt, in October.
Egypt rejects any unilateral filling of GERD because it will affect its quota of the Nile water.
Egypt is facing acute water shortage with more than 50% annual deficit, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told the UN General Assembly last Saturday.
He said it is not acceptable to impose an status quo (the Ethiopian unilateral filling of GERD) when the issue is concerning lives of over 100 millions Egyptians.
