South Sudan aims to finance the project from local sources, like Ethiopia
borkena
The Foreign Affairs Ministry of South Sudan on Friday disclosed a plan to build a hydroelectric generating dam on the Nile river.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister of South Sudan, Deng Dau Deng , told the National NewsPaper that his country could afford to build a dam which he said is important to transition the war torn South Sudan to an industry led economy.
The Dam is one of the projects which the government of South Sudan intends to finance with revenue from oil.
Furthermore, the Deputy Minister said that South Sudan has been facing challenges related to flooding, shortage of power supply, water shortage and poor infrastructure.
The country’s Irrigation ministry is said to have finalized the project plan including the height of the dam, the amount of water it will hold and the number of turbines to be installed. Details are yet to be unveiled.
Mr. Malek is also cited as saying that the key to build the Dam is a financial resource, and he said that his country could afford it.
South Sudan has been trying to mediate Ethiopia and Sudan over the border dispute, which Ethiopia declined out of pursuit of a bilateral solution to the problem.
Egypt and Sudan, countries currently in dispute with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, have not yet reacted to South Sudan’s plan to build a dam over the Nile.
Nile riparian countries ( about eleven of them) are increasingly asserting the right to use water from the Nile in an equitable manner. Egypt, which is currently consuming over 55 billion cubic meters of the Nile water, claims that it has “a historical right” over the Nile River.
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This is just the beginning of the unraveling of the so-called Nile Treaties of 1909, 1929 and 1959. All those East African countries south of Sudan will need to use every available natural resources to drag their growing population out of abject property. It is a must. They must industrialize themselves by making manufactured products they have been buying from overseas. That is inevitable since their economy based mostly of agriculture goes so far to cut the mustard for them. Agriculture itself must be industrialized just like the developed nations to create and sustain above poverty living conditions. One of the natural resources not utilized properly is water from raging rivers. South Sudan has all the rights to harness its water resources for the good of its people. Revenue from oil will not be here forever. It has been the worst polluter around and the world is working overtime to find clean alternatives. Ok megalomaniacs in Al-Qahirah! Another big one for you!!!!
Egypt is building the massive Nyerere dam in Tanzania. It also plans on building this dam in South Sudan. Egypt has and always will be the Nile basin big brother. Had Ethiopian politicians understood this fact, Egypt could have finished Ethiopia’s dam at least 4 years ago. It is not too late to cooperate.
Sorry to say that, neither Egyptian company has had experience of dam construction, and rather primarily builds commercial and residential buildings and transmission lines. It looks to be a failer.
The Aswan High Dam was built by Russians. not Egypt.
But Sudanese Irrigation Ministry spokesman, Osama Abu Shanab, said: “This is the first time I hear of it. I have received no information on plans to build dams in South Sudan. They would have notified us if they had such plans. South Sudan will not implement plans to build dams on the White Nile without first notifying us and the Egyptians.” The threat continues!!!
Nyerere Dam is being built on Rufiji River that flows into the Indian River. It is not a tributary that feeds The Nile. It is expected to generate about 2100MW when fully operational which will never be sufficient for the growing needs of that country. It also faces strong opposition internally. The contractors have no experience building dams at all. But I wish by brothers and sisters in Tanzania nothing but success in getting the dam completed. GERD’s support internally is pretty much unanimous. Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti are poised to reap benefits when GERD is up and humming. The ‘foreclosure’ agreements of 1902, 1929 and 1959 were designed and declared to gentrify those black folks. ‘Who cares about those ‘niggers’ they said then!!! ‘Those ‘abd’s’ ‘khadameen’, you know! Those black folks never had any vile intentions to harm their age old brothers and sisters in The Sudan and Egypt. Never!!!
South Sudan has announced plans to build two massive dams on the Nile to generate electricity. Malek said “This is a strategic plan of the country, the government has a plan to build a dam for the generation of electricity and power because you can’t have a country without industrialization,” said Deng Dau Deng Malek from his office in the centre of the South Sudanese capital. “Look at the country today, most of South Sudan is flooded as we speak. The Upper Nile State is under water. We weren’t given the opportunity as a country to think and plan. You look at the needs of the population, you look at the growing industries,” he said.
The authorities in neighboring Sudan have reportedly told South Sudan that their ambition over the Nile must secure the approval of Khartoum and Egypt. SO THE THREATENING GOES ON & ON & ON!!!