Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdel Atti has denied information claiming that Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopian initially agreed to sign a contracts with two European consultant companies, which have been chosen to conduct studies on the impacts of the under-construction Ethiopian Renaissance dam on the downstream countries of the Nile, on September 19 and 20, Youm7 reported him.
Two days ago, Youm7 reported an official in the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation spoke on condition anonymity as he was not authorized to brief the media that the contracts would be signed on Sept. 19 and 20.
Signing of the contract was scheduled to be made on Sept. 5 and 6, but differences among the three countries impeded the signature.
Since May 2011, Cairo has voiced its concern that the dam could reduce the country’s annual share of more than 56 billion cubic meters of Nile water. Addis Ababa, however, has claimed that the dam is necessary for its development, and will not harm downstream countries.
