This archive report was first published on 17 November 2019.
The Blue Nile, a vital source of water for Egypt, has long been a source of frustration for Sudanese farmers like Osman Idris. Its unpredictable flooding has swallowed crops and houses as it crashes through Sudan from Ethiopia on its way to Egypt.
"Tonight, the level of water will be low," said Idris, a resident of Juref Gharb, a small village on the bank of the Blue Nile outside Khartoum. "Tomorrow, it will swallow all the houses...It's a renegade river, it rises so fast," he added.
For Idris, the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile is a dream come true. The dam promises to regulate the floods that inundate Sudan every rainy season, allowing farmers to plant crops throughout the year and increasing their income.
Construction of the dam began in 2012, but Egypt has sounded the alarm that the project would severely reduce its water supplies. Egypt depends on the Nile for about 90 percent of its irrigation and drinking water, and says it has "historic rights" to the river guaranteed by treaties from 1929 and 1959.
Despite the concerns of Egypt, the dam is expected to provide low-cost electricity to Sudan, which could lead to economic growth. Professor Ekram Dagash of Khartoum's Al-Zaiem Al-Azhari University agrees that Sudan stands to gain from the dam, which will maintain water levels and block unwanted silt.
However, not everyone is pleased with the dam. Brickmakers, who depend on the silt for their livelihood, are concerned that the dam will block the silt and put them out of business. But Professor Dagash believes that workers can be compensated and provided alternative livelihoods if brickworks close.
