The two countries are locked in a bitter dispute over usage of the Nile River waters, with Egypt charging that Ethiopia’s plan to fill the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) will starve Egypt of its primary supply.
“Egypt has elected to bring this matter to the attention of the UN security Council after having explored and exhausted every avenue of reaching an amicable solution to an agreement on the GERD that preserves and promotes the rights and interests of the three riparian states of the Blue Nile,” said Mr Shoukry.
The 1959 agreement allocated nearly 90 per cent of the Nile waters to Egypt and Sudan, with Egypt taking 55.5 billion cubic meters annually while Sudan was allocated 18.5 billion cubic meters per year.
Egypt and Sudan are yet to sign the agreement 10 years on, over this provision, and want Article 14 (b) to read that the use “not to adversely affect the water security and current uses and rights of any other Nile Basin State”.
Ethiopia says it will take three to seven years to fill the dam reservoir with 4.9 billion cubic meters of water for generation of electricity, while Egypt says it will affect the natural flow of the Blue Nile that provides it with 87 per cent of its water and has been pushing for gradual filling of between seven and 10 years to guarantee its annual share.
