Addis Ababa, March 18, 2021 (Walta) – Ethiopia will start the second phase of filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) this coming rainy season, according to the Ministry of Water, Irrigation, and Energy.
Speaking at the symposium held in connection with the 10th anniversary of the commencement of GERD yesterday, Water, Irrigation, and Energy Minister Doctor Engineer Sileshi Bekele said “we will fill the second phase of the dam reservoir without any reason in the coming rainy reason as per our milestones.”
Hence, additional 13.5 billion cubic meters will be retained in July and August.
The Minister added that Ethiopia is committed to concluding the trilateral negotiations under the auspices of the African Union (AU).
Sileshi recalled that Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt began negotiations under the auspices of the African Union (AU) based on the principle of resolving Africa’s problems with African solutions.
Ethiopia discussed with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and briefed the delegation about Ethiopia’s position on the dam.
“Now we are waiting for the start of trilateral negotiations that will be led by DRC,” he stated.
Currently, the overall construction of the dam has reached 79 percent, it was learned.