WATANI International
13 March 2011
Burundi became the sixth nation to sign an agreement on water usage from the Nile River, enabling ratification of an accord that may strip Egypt of its veto power over rights to the flow from the world’s longest river.
“This agreement does not exempt the six countries from their commitments towards Egypt,” said Hussein al-Atfi, former minister of water resources and irrigation.
Egypt’s situation, according to Dr Atfi, is very critical now that Burundi has signed the agreement. But, he added, the agreement will not be activated unless nine countries sign. The six signatories so far, he said, are not in agreementon on the details of the accord.
“Cooperation between the Nile Basin countries is very significant in that it can secure every country’s water rights,” Dr Atfi noted, admitting that Egypt’s role with the other riaprian nations has witnessed a recent recession in the view of the turmoil in the country. The new Cabinet headed by Essam Sharaf, however, is expected to give the matter due attention.
Upstream projects
Economy expert Mukhtar al-Sherif told Watani that Egypt’s preoccupation with its current internal upheaval was among the factors which drove Burundi to sign the agreement. Egypt and Sudan, Dr Sherif reminded, had stressed that any agreement ought to be unanimous and that the downstream countries ought to approve projects upstream since, admittedly, they stand to affect their water rights. The dam planned in Ethiopia, for instance, he said, could decrease the water quota of Egypt and Sudan. Egypt stands to lose 10 billion cubic metres of its current 55 billion cu.m. while Sudan would lose 5 billion cu.m. Sherif reminds that upstream countries, including Ethiopia, depend on rainfall for their water, but Egypt is almost completely dependent on the Nile as its only sustainanble source of water.
“The matter should be resolved through peaceful cooperation among the Nile Basin countries,” Dr Sherif says, “bearing in mind the significance of international agreements. The media, whether in Egypt or in other countries, should not exacerbate the differences, but should allow the economic and water experts handle of the crisis. Then comes the role of the politicians.”
Mahmoud Abu-Zeid, former minister of water resources and irrigation, said that the six countries signing the agreement is not the end of the road, there is still room for future cooperation. And there is no peril threatening Egypt’s water quota, he said, by any number of dams Ethiopia may build. Is he being over-optimistic?