Ethiopia's National Panel of Experts linked to the Renaissance Dam project dismiss as biased to Egypt criticisms of the dam levelled by US-based environmental group
A general view shows construction activity on the Grand Renaissance dam in Guba Woreda, Benishangul Gumuz region March 16, 2014 (Photo: Reuters) |
The
panel accused, in a statement issued Thursday, the US-based
environmental organisation "of subverting Ethiopia’s efforts to develop
its water resources and lift its vast and growing population out of
poverty." It accused the IRN of being paid by Egypt in order to lobby
against the Renaissance Dam internationally.
"Again,
the IRN never loses opportunity to lobby for its Egyptian paymasters.
Not only does the IRN talk about the 'oversize' of GERD, but also about
the Egyptians’ negative emotions over GERD: anger and fear."
The
IRN issued 31 March 2014 a statement about Renaissance Dam along with a
leaked version of the report of the tripartite technical committee
assigned to study the probable impact of the dam on Egypt and Sudan
issued last year.
"One
international dam expert who has seen the report states that it shows
that construction on the project is proceeding on an aggressively
accelerated schedule with little room for adjusting key elements of dam
design to reduce harm or prevent problems," the IRN said in its
statement.
The
environmental NGO called on Ethiopia to halt construction of the dam
until studies on the impact of the dam on the downstream countries are
continued.
The
IRN added that it would work on keeping international donors from
investing in the GERD project while providing alternatives to Ethiopia
for water and land reclamation.
Egypt,
Ethiopia and Sudan formed a tripartite technical committee to study the
probable effects of the Renaissance Dam. But the committee's
discussions were thwarted in December when Sudanese President Omar
Al-Bashir announced his support for the dam during a meeting with
Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.
Talks
between Ethiopia and Egypt broke down in recent months. Yet officials
from both countries insist they will continue to hold talks in order to
solve the dispute over the dam. Earlier this month, the foreign
ministers of both Egypt and Ethiopia held talks in Brussels on the dam.
Founded
in 1985 as an international NGO, the International Rivers Network is an
environmental anti-dam organisation that aims to protect rivers and
local communities that depend on those rivers. The US based organisation
is known internationally for its stances against dams in general.
source: english.ahram.org.eg
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