Addis ababa: Water stored in Egypt's downstream reservoirs suffers from high rates of evaporation due to the country's hot desert climate, according to Fekahmed Negash, Chairperson of the Advisory Team on Transboundary Water and GERD at Ethiopia's Ministry of Water and Energy. Fekahmed, a former member of Ethiopia's GERD negotiation team and former Executive Director of the Eastern Nile Technical Regional Office (ENTRO), emphasized that Ethiopia's deep and narrow highland gorges provide far more favorable conditions for water storage. Storing water in these cooler highland areas, he argued, could ultimately benefit the entire Nile Basin countries.According to Ethiopian News Agency, Fekahmed contrasted these conditions with the Aswan High Dam, whose vast reservoir lies in Egypt's hot desert environment and is exposed to substantial evaporation losses. He estimated that the Aswan High Dam loses about 15 to 16 billion cubic meters of water annually through evaporation. 'Storing water in Ethiopia, where the gor ges are deep and narrow and the temperature is ambient, can minimize this evaporation,' he said. He added that shifting a greater share of water storage upstream to Ethiopia could save a significant volume of water that would otherwise be lost, increasing the amount eventually released downstream.Fekahmed identified additional benefits of Ethiopian highland storage beyond reducing evaporation, such as reduced sedimentation. Large quantities of silt transported from the Ethiopian highlands accumulate in Lake Nasser behind the Aswan High Dam, gradually reducing its storage capacity. 'The construction of dams in Ethiopia can reduce the amount of silt arriving at the Naser Lake thereby extending its useful life,' he said. By trapping sediment upstream, Ethiopian dams could help preserve the long-term storage capacity of downstream reservoirs.Furthermore, Fekahmed suggested that upstream storage could provide downstream countries with greater protection against extreme flooding. Although severe floods are rela tively infrequent, extreme events can pose serious risks to downstream infrastructure. He recalled that during a major flood event in 2005, Egyptian engineers opened the Western Spillway and diverted billions of cubic meters of water into the Toshka Valley. Greater storage capacity in Ethiopia could help regulate extreme flows within the basin and reduce the pressure on downstream infrastructure.The potential of Ethiopian reservoirs extends to energy production as well. Fekahmed noted that cascade hydropower development in Ethiopia could generate electricity beyond domestic requirements, offering downstream countries access to clean and affordable energy. 'The fourth benefit is access to cheap and clean electricity from Ethiopia,' he said, suggesting that such energy cooperation could foster economic integration among Nile Basin countries.Fekahmed also linked increased upstream storage to the Nile Basin's ability to cope with climate change, highlighting the construction of cascade dams in Ethiopia as a m eans to increase storage capacity in the basin. Water stored in Ethiopia could be released downstream when needed, helping manage periods of excessive or reduced river flow. He estimated that evaporation from dams in Egypt and Sudan amounts to about 20 billion cubic meters annually.He stressed the importance of greater cooperation among Nile Basin countries, arguing that water storage should be viewed from the perspective of the entire basin rather than individual national interests. Ethiopian highland reservoirs, he said, can simultaneously contribute to reducing evaporation losses, controlling sedimentation, regulating floods, generating clean energy, and strengthening climate resilience. 'For this to happen, there is a need for trust and confidence to be built among the nations,' Fekahmed stated.His comments come amid renewed debate over Ethiopia's plans to develop additional dams on the Abay (Blue Nile). Fekahmed's assessment presents upstream storage as an opportunity to improve water management acro ss the Nile Basin, arguing that the favorable storage conditions of Ethiopia's highlands could generate benefits extending well beyond Ethiopia's borders.
Tuesday, September 15, 2026