Members of the national tripartite committee of the Grand Renaissance Ethiopian Dam (GERD) are preparing to present their review of the technical studies on the construction of the dam to the water ministers of the three countries on Wednesday. In announcing the tentative date for the presentation of the studies, Egypt's minister of water resources, Hossam Moghazy, also said the report has been consistent thus far. However he did not mention any details on the studies. The meetings in Khartoum are on the second day and may extend for two additional days, Moghazy said. Following the discussions, a final report is expected to be sent to the water ministries of the three countries to inform them of the date on which the contracts will be approved. A copy of the contract drafts will be sent to the state council in Egypt for review, prior to approval. The publication of the studies has been delayed several times after they were expected to be published by the end of January 2016. The companies requested additional time to review the technical ramifications of the construction of the GERD on the three countries. In a similar context, Moghazy called on Egyptians to curtail their consumption of water, to use available water resources to the fullest, and to avoid polluting the Nile so as to preserve access to clean water for future generations. GERD construction is now 60% completed. The dam has strained relations between Ethiopia and Egypt since construction began in 2011, with relations reaching their lowest point in 2013. "Egypt's water share is expected to diminish to only 600 cubic metres from 1000 cubic metres after building the dam," Egypt's former water minister, Nasr Allam, previously told Daily News Egypt and had relied on former technical studies to present this estimation. Source: Daily News Egypt
