Ethiopia says Nile water flow to downstream countries will be under its control

In remarks likely to reignite tensions over Nile water sharing between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan, Ethiopian Minister of Water and Energy Habtamu Itefa said the flow of Nile water to downstream countries will be under Ethiopia's control.

The minister affirmed that Addis Ababa intends to proceed with building additional dams on the Nile, justifying the move as necessary for the "fair use of Nile waters and achieving sustainable development." He also accused Egypt of orchestrating what he described as "misleading media campaigns" in recent years aimed at restricting Ethiopia and preventing it from constructing the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and benefiting from the Nile's waters.

According to Al Arabiya, the statements come amid media reports of Ethiopian plans to build three new dams with a targeted storage capacity of around 140 billion cubic meters. These reports indicate that the new projects could raise Ethiopia's total storage capacity to about 224 billion cubic meters, while the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam alone holds about 74 billion cubic meters.

If these plans move forward, they are expected to add a new dimension to the ongoing dispute between Addis Ababa, Cairo, and Khartoum over the management of Nile waters, particularly regarding the rules for operating dams during years of drought and prolonged dry periods.

Ethiopia maintains its right to utilize its water resources for development and electricity generation, while Egypt insists that Nile water is a matter of national security and demands a legally binding agreement to safeguard the rights and interests of downstream countries.

Egypt is especially concerned about the impact of dam management during droughts on the volume of water it receives, while Addis Ababa asserts that the project is primarily intended for power generation and is not aimed at harming downstream nations.