The Ethiopian dam has sparked controversy after an Ethiopian magazine reported that at least 15,000 people may have died during the dam’s construction. Ethiopian Water and Energy Minister Habtamu Itefa would neither confirm nor deny these claims with DW. The deceased include engineers, workers, security forces, drivers and residents who contributed to or supported the project in various ways.
Simegnew Bekele, a former GERD chief project manager, is one of the prominent figures who died under unclear circumstances, with speculation that he may have been assassinated in connection with the dam construction in July 2018.
Ethiopia funded the construction of the dam entirely with internal funds, including government bonds, public donations, and civil servant salary contributions. China provided loans for auxiliary infrastructure like power transmission lines and turbines.
Downstream neighbors Sudan and Egypt have raised concerns about the potential impact of the dam on their water supplies. Egypt relies heavily on the Nile and sees GERD as an existential threat. Ethiopia has dismissed these concerns, stating that the 2015 Declaration of Principles has been followed, and the river flow data has been shared with neighboring countries.
The dam project has faced ongoing opposition and tensions with Egypt. The 1959 Nile Waters Agreement, which allocated water shares to Egypt and Sudan, excludes Ethiopia and is considered contentious. The dam site was first identified during the Blue Nile survey in the 1960s.
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/deaths-dollars-disputes-ethiopia-s-gerd-mega-dam/a-73919375?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
