Renaissance Dam could cause desertification of 1 million feddans

CAIRO – 4 August 2017: The Renaissance Dam could cause the desertification of one million feddans (1.04 million acres), and five million people will lose their sources of income in return, according to an unverified document related to the Ministry of Irrigation.

Mohammed El-Baz, broadcaster of El Mehwar Channel’s “90 Minutes”, showed on Thursday a document sent from Minister of Irrigation Mohamed Abdel-Ati to the Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, in which he clarified the details of his meeting with the new Ethiopian ambassador to Cairo.

According to the document, Abdel-Ati expressed to the Ethiopian ambassador his concern about the crisis of the Renaissance Dam and its dangerous economic and social effects.

He emphasized the need to finish the studies related to the dam, and to show sufficient flexibility and cooperation in order to prevent any effect on Egypt’s current uses of water.
Earlier, Ethiopian Parliament Speaker Abadula Gemeda stressed his country’s commitment to cooperate with Egypt regarding negotiations on the Renaissance Dam, along with other fields.

Construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam started on April 2, 2011 at a cost of $4.8 billion. It is being built by the Italian construction and engineering company Sallini Impregilo, headquartered in Milan.