Egyptian Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Hani Sewilam has described the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) as “illegitimate,” saying Cairo reserves the right to take measures it considers necessary to protect its water security.
Sewilam made the remarks Sunday during a briefing in Cairo with representatives of foreign media in Egypt, organized by the country's State Information Service.
The GERD has remained at the centre of a prolonged dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia since construction of the massive hydroelectric project began on the Blue Nile in 2011. Egypt has consistently called for a legally binding agreement governing the filling and operation of the dam, arguing that an uncoordinated approach could threaten the flow of water to downstream countries.
Sewilam said the completion of the dam and the passage of time did not mean Egypt had accepted the project or abandoned what it considers its water rights.
“The dam is illegitimate and will remain so. Egypt has the right to take appropriate action to remove the harm caused to it,” he said.
The minister also referred to the 2015 Declaration of Principles signed by Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan. He said the agreement was intended to provide a framework for cooperation among the three countries, including commitments to reach an understanding on the initial filling and annual operation of the GERD, as well as coordination and data sharing.
According to Sewilam, the declaration did not authorize Ethiopia to take unilateral measures concerning the dam. He argued that continued filling and operation without an agreement violated the commitments contained in the declaration.
“We gave Ethiopia more than one opportunity and tried every possible way to reach understandings, but it did not respond and also violated the Declaration of Principles,” he said.
Egypt Raises Concerns Over Dam Operations
Sewilam said Egypt's principal concern was not Ethiopia's use of the dam to generate electricity but the timing and volume of water released from the reservoir and the rules governing those releases.
He warned that uncoordinated operation could result in sudden increases or sharp reductions in water flows, potentially affecting major dams and water systems in both Egypt and Sudan.
The Egyptian minister also called for a legally binding agreement establishing procedures for periods of prolonged drought and repeated flooding. Such rules, he argued, would provide greater predictability for the three countries and help reduce potential risks associated with fluctuations in Nile flows.
Sewilam also challenged Ethiopia's argument that Egypt receives the “lion's share” of Nile water.
He said Egypt's annual allocation of 55.5 billion cubic meters represents approximately 2.7% of the estimated 2 trillion cubic meters of rainfall across the Nile Basin.
According to figures presented by the minister, Ethiopia received more than 1 trillion cubic meters of rainfall in 2023, including approximately 467 billion cubic meters over the Ethiopian section of the Nile Basin. He said Ethiopia's renewable water resources are estimated at about 122 billion cubic meters annually.
Sewilam also cited estimates placing Ethiopia's annual groundwater recharge between 51 billion and 81 billion cubic meters, while distinguishing those resources from Egypt's deep groundwater reserves, which he described as largely non-renewable.
Agriculture and Water Resources
The Egyptian minister further compared the agricultural resources and water use of the two countries.
He said Ethiopia has more than 18 million hectares of agricultural land, compared with approximately 4.03 million hectares in Egypt.
Sewilam said rain-fed agriculture in Ethiopia consumes about 148 billion cubic meters of “green water” annually, alongside approximately 9.68 billion cubic meters of “blue water.”
Green water refers to rainfall stored in soil and used by plants, while blue water generally refers to water drawn from rivers, lakes and groundwater.
According to the figures cited by Sewilam, Ethiopia's total agricultural water use is approximately 158 billion cubic meters annually. He also estimated the water footprint of the country's livestock sector at around 85.5 billion cubic meters, most of which consists of green water.
Rather than focusing solely on the dispute over the GERD, Sewilam called for greater cooperation between the countries on rainwater harvesting, groundwater management and improving agricultural water-use efficiency.
He also pointed to Ethiopia's substantial potential for solar and wind energy, arguing that expanding alternative energy sources could help reduce water-related pressures associated with electricity generation.
Dispute Remains Unresolved
Egypt and Sudan have continued to seek a legally binding agreement governing the filling and operation of the GERD, maintaining that such an arrangement is necessary to protect their water interests.
Ethiopia has rejected the demand for a binding operational agreement, maintaining that the dam is primarily intended to generate electricity and that its operation will not harm the interests of downstream countries.
Negotiations between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia were suspended for several years after talks stalled in 2020. Discussions resumed in 2023 but subsequently stalled again in 2024, leaving key issues surrounding the dam's operation unresolved.
The disagreement remains one of the most significant water and diplomatic disputes in the Nile Basin. At the heart of the disagreement are competing concerns over Ethiopia's right to develop its water resources and Egypt's and Sudan's demands for assurances that the operation of the GERD will not adversely affect downstream water flows.
Sewilam's latest comments indicate that Egypt continues to regard the absence of a legally binding agreement as a major concern and maintains that it reserves the right to respond to what it considers potential harm to its water security.
