In Pursuit of Development

Dam diplomacy and water sharing agreements in the Nile basin — Ashok Swain

Episode Summary

Dan Banik speaks with Ashok Swain on the relationship between climate change and water security and the growing tensions between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan over the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Episode Notes

The growing tensions between the Nile Basin countries – Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan – over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has made news headlines in recent months. 

Egypt and Ethiopia have for many years been at loggerheads over Ethiopia’s plan to dam the Nile River and this conflict has resulted in steadily deteriorating relations between some of Africa’s biggest countries. Numerous attempts to negotiate a deal have failed and the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on the smooth flow of the Nile are at stake.

In 2011, Ethiopia began construction of the GERD, a $4.6 billion hydroelectric project, on the headwaters of the Blue Nile, near the border between Ethiopia and Sudan. For Ethiopia, the dam offers an opportunity to finally take advantage of the world’s longest river in stimulating economic growth and generate much-needed electricity for itself as well as for its neighbours. 

But the construction of this dam has resulted in a highly polarized discourse.

Some have argued that GERD, in addition to its obvious benefits for Ethiopia, could even foster new and productive forms of regional cooperation. But others worry over Ethiopia’s growing muscle and its motives, and its commitment to respect water-sharing agreements at the cost of other countries that depend on the Nile. 

In addition to the Nile river basin conflict, we also discuss in this episode the longstanding water sharing agreements and disputes between India and Bangladesh and the impact of India’s construction of the Farakka Barrage on the Ganges river in the 1970s. Are there certain lessons from this dispute that could explain the current dispute in the Nile basin?

Guest: Ashok Swain is a professor of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, Sweden. He is also the UNESCO Chair of International Water Cooperation and the Director of Uppsala University’s Research School of International Water Cooperation.

Resources:

• "How the Grand Renaissance Dam might spark basin-wide water cooperation" (The Conversation, July 2020)
• "Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: Catalyst for basin-wide water cooperation?" (The Africa Report, August 2020)
• The Egyptian President's speech at the UN General Assembly (Sept. 2020)
• "Ethiopia tells UN 'no intention' of using dam to harm Egypt, Sudan" (Middle East Monitor, September 2020)
• "To India’s chagrin, Bangladesh turns to China to transform Teesta river" (TheThirdPole.net, September 2020)
• Follow Ashok Swain on Twitter
• Follow Dan Banik and In Pursuit of Development on Twitter