Egypt calms fears of decline in Nile waters
Egypt, Economics, 12/13/2002

Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Mahmoud Abu Zeid calmed fears of a decline in the Nile waters saying that the water stored in Lake Nasser, behind the High Dam, was enough to meet the needs of Egypt, as well as Sudan over the next few years.

He added that the drought that hit some African regions, especially eastern Ethiopia, was not at all likely to hit Egypt.

"Egypt's water policy until 2017 has been set to compensate for the differences between water resources and output, including the implementation of giant national projects in Toshka, Al-Salam Canal and the Western Delta," he said.

This policy secures water supplies for these projects even if there is any decline in resources.

Minister Abu Zeid made the statement at the opening ceremony of the Ministers of Water and Irrigation in the Eastern Nile Basin countries, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.

Water and irrigation experts in the three countries took part in the meetings.

"Egypt might face the menace of drought if there is continuous decline in water over ten successive years, but the longest such a thing happened was seven years, during the 1980s," Minister Abu Zeid said.

During the meetings, the Minister of Water said that Egypt was ready to offer all forms of aid to fellow Basin countries facing the threat of drought, noting that we had agreed to Ethiopia's request for aid in digging wells in the eastern part of the country to provide water and reduce the impact of the drought.

As for meetings with his Sudanese and Ethiopian counterparts, Minister Abu Zeid said that they would discuss the feasibility and technical studies for seven projects.

"These projects are meant for the good of the three countries, including one to protect the Ethiopian lands, together with setting-up of a joint centre for predicting floods, a third for linking the electricity networks of the three countries and another one to protect the Nile against pollution," Abu Zeid said.

He also noted that donor countries had expressed their readiness to provide finance for these projects, once feasibility and technical studies are accomplished.

Meanwhile, Abu Zeid said that African Ministers of the Water Council and Irrigation had been invited to meet in Cairo on February 5-6. Meetings of the Nile Basin countries will be held on the sidelines of the Council's meetings.

Addressing a press conference following the opening ceremony, the Ethiopian Minister of Irrigation, said that the drought that hit the eastern part of the country was part of climactic changes worldwide.

He also stressed Egypt's positive response to the request to offer help to Ethiopia

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