Egypt faces water insecurity as Ethiopian mega-dam starts filling.
The water scarcity farmers have experienced to date has other causes: climate change and the demands of a growing population.
Indeed, when Abo Khokha tried pumping underground water to make up for reduced river flow, he found only half the usual volume, with a higher level of salinity.
Egypt’s five million feddans (21,000 square kilometres) of crops consume more than 85% of the country’s share of Nile water.
“So by the time these studies are concluded, we are already in front of the fait accompli”.
Diaa al-Qousi, a water specialist who worked for government, says the findings point to heavy rains for the next 30 years, then a huge drop the 60 years that follow.
There is no evidence for this common rumour; the Ethiopian government says it is funding the project nationally.
Ethiopia will not be allowed to alter the balance of water supply along the river, Nasr asserts: “Egypt’s water share is internationally known.
Yet work on the 6GW dam, a prestige project for the Ethiopian government, has continued unabated.
“Farmers have traditional knowledge, which they lived by for a long time.