Water: Egypt is beating the war drums against Ethiopia over
its plan to build a giant dam on the Nile, affecting a quarter of
Egypt's water supply. Given both countries' needs, it's a tough problem
to solve. But it can be done.
It's fairly shocking to think that with all the turmoil going on in
the Middle East, a new — and surprisingly dangerous — problem has
emerged in the water dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia.
But senior Egyptian officials have literally threatened war over
Ethiopia's $4.7 billion Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which Egypt
believes will significantly cut its water supply as the giant reservoir
is filled.
Last Monday, President Mohammed Morsi declared Egypt would keep "all
options open" (including military ones) on the dam, one week after
Egyptian politicians discussed attacking Ethiopia on Egyptian TV.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia added fuel to the fire on Thursday, when its
parliament voted to increase its use of Blue Nile water. This
contradicted the country's official claim its dam won't affect Egypt's
supplies because its sole purpose is to generate 6,000 megawatts of
power.
Each side has a case. Egypt's 8,000-year-old civilization owes its
existence to the uninterrupted flow of the Nile to Cairo and the delta.
And it can produce a 1929 British colonial-era treaty that entitles it
to 80% of the Nile supply — 80% of which originates in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia, meanwhile, believes it has a right to the water, and it
doesn't recognize the 1929 treaty because it didn't sign it. With 87
million people, more than Egypt's 85 million, it is desperate for
development.
The New York Times chalks the whole dispute up to the eye-glazing
Malthusian tropes of "global warming" and "overpopulation," and sees no
solution. But there is a solution — right from a neighbor that's the
world's leader for efficient use and generation of water: Israel.
Ten years ago, Israel and its neighbors had water shortages that were
seen as likely to lead to inevitable conflict. Today, there's no water
crisis, because Israel has solved its shortages through free-market
innovation. It now exports its expertise across the globe — from China
to the U.S. Rocky Mountain states.
Politics aside, Egypt and Ethiopia should be pounding down the doors
of Israel's companies for a solution that will permanently secure their
nations' water needs.
Israel could show Egypt and Ethiopia two things: how to make water
use efficient so that very little is wasted, and how to turn waste water
into potable water, both of which would mean enough water for everyone.
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