Today, Sunday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi revealed a new water plan for his government.
He said that his country understands Ethiopia's development goals behind the Renaissance Dam, stressing at the same time the need to limit the dam's damage to Egypt and Sudan.
During the opening of the fourth session of the Cairo Water Week, Sisi revealed that Egypt has developed a strategic plan for managing water resources until 2037 at an estimated cost of $50 billion, and it may double as a result of the current implementation rates.
The President pointed out that Egypt's plan is based on main axes, the first of which is improving water quality, including the establishment of bilateral and triple treatment plants, and the development of new water resources.
He pointed out that the last period witnessed a growing national trend in Egypt to localize seawater desalination technology, rationalize the use of available water resources, and raise the efficiency of the irrigation system.
El-Sisi stated that "Egypt is the driest country in the world with the lowest rainfall, which leads to almost exclusively dependence on the Nile waters that come from outside the borders."
He explained that this difficult water equation puts the case of Egypt as an early model of what the situation could become in many countries of the world in the near future, with the continuing challenges of water scarcity.
In the same context, the Egyptian president said, "We understand Ethiopia's development goals, and the damages of the Renaissance Dam to Egypt and Sudan must be reduced."
Al-Sisi added that his country is looking forward to reaching, as soon as possible, a balanced and binding agreement on the Renaissance Dam.
He pointed out that the water crisis is one of the most pressing international challenges due to the steady increase in the world's population with the stability of fresh water sources, as well as environmental deterioration, climate change and irrational human behavior through the establishment of unstudied water projects, without taking into account the importance of maintaining the safety and sustainability of resources. Water International.
Al-Sisi explained that these factors contribute to the aggravation of the crisis, and affect the ability of countries to meet the water needs of their people, which turns the issue of managing water resources into a challenge that affects the security and safety of countries and peoples, and may affect the stability of entire regions.
The Egyptian President mentioned that the civilizations of the peoples of the Nile Valley have contributed and are still contributing a major role in shaping human heritage and the industry of human thought throughout the ages.
It is noteworthy that the two parties (Cairo, Khartoum, and Addis Ababa) exchange accusations of being responsible for the failure of the dam negotiations, amid diverging positions on construction, operation and filling.
Earlier, the Egyptian Minister of Irrigation, Mohamed Abdel-Aty, said, on Saturday, that his country was ready to return to the negotiations of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, hoping that it would not collapse, as indicated by a study in which he participated.