The Egyptian minister of Irrigation and Water Resources: Mohamed Abdel-Ati said on Sunday that Egypt will not stand still as GERD completion could pose a threat to Nile water’s use.
“It is by no means an easy case and we have a lot of challenges in this respect, but we will never stand still or just stand as spectators,” Abdel-Ati said. “Egypt has internal tools to address the problems that might be caused by the GERD.”
This came after a parliamentary meeting between small and medium-scale enterprises committee to explore the possibility of offering loans to farmers who wish to modernize their irrigation systems, State-run Ahram Online reported.
“The government is keen on helping farmers obtain soft-term loans to adopt modern irrigation systems that can save water,” he added.
Countable negotiations collapsed between Ethiopia and Egypt over the GERD filling. The dam is expected to finish filling at the end of 5 or 15 year period which the Egyptians see as a threat to the country’s livelihood. On contrary, Ethiopia sees the process as a light to the part of the country in the dark.
(FILE PHOTO: The disputed Nile water. Source: courtesy)