The only way to deal with future variances in the Nile’s water is to build huge storage tanks and release water only when needed, says the Sudanese hydrologist Elfatih Eltahir.
Eltahir, who is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, also believes that the best way to avoid conflict over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is to tackle the root causes of the water crisis “by finding ways to limit population growth and nourish soil fertility across the Nile basin, rather than focusing on how to fill the dam’s reservoir.”
Egypt will host the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) this November, and water issues, including concerns about the Ethiopian dam as a potential contributor to water deficits in Egypt and Sudan, are expected to be part of the discussions.