Dam(n)! Controversy on the Nile...

Hello again! This blog aims to discuss the role of water storage in aiding water and development in Africa in the age of climate change. Conversations of climate change are inherently political, and thus, so are the decisions regarding adaptation, mitigations, and sustainability. Unfortunately, the vulnerability of communities is also determined by non-climatic factors  (Mason et al., 2011). One way to help reduce vulnerability is through increased water storage. Dams are used globally; however, this blog will focus on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Investments in such water infrastructure are needed to ensure water security, so the structure of the economy plays an important role, especially with the looming threat of climate change. 

Figure 1: A graph showing the relation between Ethiopia's GDP and rainfall (Grey and Sadoff, 2007)

In Ethiopia, hydrological variability is strongly related to economic growth, as shown in Figure 1. Models show that if there is a singular drought in twelve years, economic growth diminishes by 10% across the whole twelve years (Grey and Sadoff, 2007). This is particularly alarming as droughts typically occur every 3 to 5 years. The GERD was built to increase water security, produce hydroelectric power, and reduce recurrent flooding. It has taken 12 years of construction and nearly £4 billion to create the reservoir the size of Greater London. At full capacity, it will double Ethiopia's electricity production, to which only half the population currently have access. However, it will also dramatically reduce river flow downstream, therefore igniting political tensions.  

Figure 2: A map showing the Nile River with its main branches and the site of the GERD (Yihdego et al., 2017). 

Treaties in both 1929 and 1959 gave Egypt and Sudan rights to almost all the Nile's water and the right to veto any projects that may disrupt the flow of this water. Whilst Sudan hasn't been able to voice its concerns due to its political attention on the current conflict, Egypt's political voice has been very active in its dispute with Ethiopia over the GERD. Ethiopia has publically stated that it shall not be bound by old treaties. This has recently been compounded further by Ethiopia filling the colossal dam in 3 years despite agreements to fill it gradually over a 12-to-21-year period. 

Lots of water stored in dams is lost due to high surface temperatures increasing evaporation rates, particularly detrimental close to the equator. Therefore, underground dams are also important. They store water in the pores of strata, using a cut-off wall to dam groundwater flow (Ishida et al., 2011). They seem like an ideal solution; however, the cost is much higher, and the construction is more complex. Therefore, more research is needed before they can be coined the 'solution'. 

3.1% of annual global deaths are attributed to unsafe drinking water (Flynn et al., 2012). This may be due to both the scarcity and safety of available water sources. Dams increase water availability, whilst underground dams can improve the safety of water available as groundwater is widely accepted to have a lower pathogen content than surface water. Please stay tuned as this blog continues to explore the complexities of environmental change and water in Africa.