Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi held a meeting with Minister of Irrigation Hossam Al-Moughazi to discuss the latest developments regarding the negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Moughazi presented the latest developments in preparation for the meeting of the ministries of foreign affairs and irrigation in Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia. The three countries agreed in December on the mechanisms of action to find a permanent solution.
The technical committee, which includes experts from the three countries, held consolations in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa and reached an agreement in December on the importance of increasing the number of gates in the dam, which will addressed the concerns of Egypt and Sudan regarding downstream water supplies of the Blue Nile.
The three countries recently signed the Khartoum resolution based on the declaration of principles previously signed by the three leaders of Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia.
During his meeting with Al-Sisi, Moughazi presented projects to protect Egypt’s coastal cities from rising sea levels and a review of the infrastructure of these coastal cities. There are plans to monitor the Egyptian coastline using satellite imagery.
Moughazi suggested that the construction of breakwaters could mitigate the effects of coastline erosion in Alexandria, Marsa Matrouh, and Kafr El Sheikh. President Al-Sisi emphasised the importance of addressing the risks posed by climate change not only in regards to existing infrastructure but also in the construction of future projects, in Egypt and in collaboration with neighbouring African countries.
In December, Daily News Egypt ran a four-part series entitled “Global Warming: Survival of the Richest” examining the relationship between Egypt’s industrialisation plans, private sector interests, and the continued environmental degradation that put Egypt’s socio-economically disadvantaged at risk.
