The fourth and final filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is a success Ethiopia has registered withstanding diplomatic pressures, according to the GERD negotiating team member Yacob Arsano.
The GERD negotiating team member and Hydro Politics Researcher at the Addis Ababa University, Associate Professor Yacob, noted that this round of filling was huge success.
Recall that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced early Sunday that Ethiopia has concluded the fourth-round filling of the dam.
Noting that immense pressures had been made to stop the country from launching the project at the outset, he added that Ethiopia had also to overcome various challenges it encountered.
According to him, the successful completion of the fourth and final filling has fully reversed the pressure against Ethiopia.
As there were extensive diplomatic campaigns in this regard, it is a big diplomatic victory for the country to complete the water filling according to plan.
Yacob pointed out the Ethiopian people give priority to the national interest of their country and the next generation rather than for personal interest, and this has been demonstrated through the Great Renaissance Dam.
As a result the giant power generating dam built by the Ethiopian public who funded it has started bearing fruit, the negotiating team member elaborated.
The associate professor stressed that the dam filling is the outcome of the contribution of the public in finance, labor, knowledge and persistent prayer.
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Ethiopia has always taken into consideration the mutual benefit of neighboring downstream countries in its water development, he noted.
Accordingly, the filling of the dam was carried out by allowing sufficient water to pass to the downstream countries.
Ethiopia has been demonstrating this during the last fillings, and Egyptian officials have confirmed that the Aswan Dam is holding sufficient water, the associate professor revealed.
The fourth and final filling of GERD was accomplished by allowing enough water to reach the downstream countries.
Yacob also noted that most of Ethiopia's rivers are transboundary and blessings to neighboring countries. However, some countries have been trying to limit the country's sovereign right to develop its resources.
Ethiopia's right to use its natural resources within its sovereign territory must, however, be recognized, he underscored.
He further reiterated that Ethiopia has been sticking to the principle of utilizing transboundary water resources fairly and without causing significant harm to the downstream countries.
