DEC 15 WATER WAR BETWEEN EGYPT & ETHIOPIA

DEC 15  WATER WAR BETWEEN EGYPT & ETHIOPIA

The Egyptian government is worried. No, it's not about the Muslim Brotherhood. Nope...It's not another attack on Coptic Christians. And it has nothing to do with Jerusalem becoming the capital of Israel. Nope, today, the political ministers in Cairo are worried that the Nile River will dry up. Since 95% of the population lives in the Nile River Valley, this means 85 million lives are in danger!

Why do Egyptian ministers think the Nile River will dry up? Because 1,500 miles upriver, the Ethiopian government is busy building the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). It's now 70% completed and will be operational next year. Once done, it will be Africa's largest, producing 6,000 megawatts of power. Today, only a third of Ethiopians have electricity, so this is really quite an accomplishment.

This is exciting news for Ethiopia...a nation previously only known for drought and starvation. But downriver in Egypt, concerns are high. See, Addis Ababa has been a bit hush-hush on the nuts and bolts of the dam. The Ethiopian government raised the $5 billion to build it without foreign help, so the outside world has little idea of what's going on. We do know it will take ten years to fill a reservoir that will bring the power. Cairo worries about these projections as well as the safe maintenance of the flow of the world's longest river.

As any History Teacher will tell you: Egypt is the 'Gift of the Nile.' However, the annual flooding went away decades ago. The High Aswan Dam opened in 1965. Since then, the Nile flow levels are controlled...so the Nile won't dry up anytime soon. However, the flow will be cut by 25% beginning soon. This will mean less water and power in the long run. That's why Egypt is demanding a Pan-African committee to be formed to look deeper into the environmental affects of the GERD before any operation.

While this conflict may seem odd and insignificant, expect many more to pop up in the future. Simply put: Fresh water reserves cannot keep up with the world's rapidly expanding population. Across Asia, disputes rage. Turkey wants to control the Euphrates, putting Iraqis at risk. Thailand is angry with Laos for their dam on the Mekong. And in the Americas there's the Colorado River dispute. Americans drink every drop before it gets to Mexico!