Ethiopia fills controversial Nile dam

Egypt has voiced anger after Ethiopia announced it had filled the reservoir at a disputed hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile river


Cairo
EGYPT
Aswan High Dam
Nile
Khartoum
SUDAN
White Nile
Blue Nile
Addis Ababa
ETHIOPIA
500km 310 miles

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)

Nile River basin


Dam

Blue Nile
Supplies 85% of water that flows into Nile river

10km 6 miles

May 2019


Dam

Extent of reservoir

10km 6 miles

May 2023


GERD FACTFILE

Construction
Work on $4.2 billion project started in 2011

Scale: Dam is Africa’s largest, measuring 1.8km long and 145m high

Power generation
Began in Feb 2022. Plan is to generate more than 6,000MW

Ethiopia: Wants dam to produce electricity for 60% of its population who currently have no supply

Egypt and Sudan
Downstream countries fear dam will cut their share of water. Nile provides 97% of Egypt’s freshwater needs

Filling of reservoir behind dam began in 2020 – its surface area is now roughly similar to Greater London


LONDON
10km 6 miles


Source: BBC
Pictures: Google Maps
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