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The dam’s building and construction, seen here in December 2019, started in2011
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has actually previously warned that filling and running the dam without an agreement “that safeguards the downstream communities … would heighten stress and might provoke crises and conflicts that further destabilise a currently bothered region”.
His comments come after satellite images taken in between 27 June and 12 July reveal a stable boost in the quantity of water being held back by the dam.
The reservoir behind the dam will fill naturally during Ethiopia’s rainy season, which began in June and lasts up until September.
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A big reservoir is beginning to form behind the dam
12 July 2020
26 June 2020
When fully functional, the dam will become the largest hydro-electric plant in Africa, supplying power to some 65 million Ethiopians, who currently do not have a regular electrical power supply. Egypt gets almost all of its water from the Nile and fears the dam will minimize supplies.
How will the dam be filled?
The minister’s statement has confirmed that rain water has already started to build up. Ethiopia had constantly said it would fill the dam in July, while Egypt had warned it to postpone while talks continued.
Given the stage that the building and construction is at