Mereja.Forum

[ittuabafarda]

A) Opinion #1

I hope and pray that level heads will prevail in this negotiation. The situation during the drought seasons should be considered. This is a lesson for all future endeavors by the old country in harnessing its natural resources for development hence for the good of its people. It is obvious that the old country has the intellectual horsepower it needs to take industrialization to the next level but it lacks the energy(electricity) to drive it home. The challenge the Blue Nile poses to the old country goes beyond the boundaries of sovereignty. As we speak it is the lifeline of millions who live outside its boundaries. There are other rivers that originate in its southern regions that millions in Somalia depend on for their survival. You see, that is what one of many other reasons I call the old country the gem of the colored. It shows The Almighty Our Creator Has Cast His Grace On Her!!! That was the main reason that drove early regimes of Somalia into madness. In a sense sometimes such resources can turn into a curse by outsiders. I am still not giving up. They should continue negotiating because if it fails and followed by open conflict tens of millions in Egypt and possibly in Sudan can be in serious trouble. I mean deadly trouble and that will not be a pretty sight for the whole region. So every one of them needs to grow up. Wise up!!!!

Opinion #2

I am still optimistic about the on-going negotiation regarding the dam. The way the parties handling this particular phase of the negotiation is not something to be discarded. This time they are all in agreement that the negotiation should go on and none of them have demanded the construction to be stopped. This time it is different in that they have target dates to come up with a final treaty even though the date has moved more than once. The way I see the date being a moving target is like another teaching/learning moment for all. If the date for final agreement changes, so what? None of the three countries declared one to be a drop-dead date!!! I see it as a wish list. The most important thing is none of them want to scuttle the effort and quit. I am sure Egypt knows that it will lose more than the other two if the negotiation breaks down but instead heads into an open hostility and destructive military conflict. I don’t think Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is remiss of him about the consequences of such reckless behavior. The loss will be more than losing just a tributary but the entire life sustaining water main. The old country will also lose the chance of a lifetime of the ability to generate electricity it direly needs to spread industrialization nationwide which is the only way it can pull its people out of nagging abject poverty. Failure may even lead to diplomatic isolation that must be avoided at all times. It shows me that all of the negotiators are hard nose negotiators. They have proven themselves to be tough cookies. Tempering of raw emotion is hardly needed here. Level heads should prevail letting one have what it lacks now without abruptly denying others what they have(need) for sustenance. I don't think either USA or The World Bank seek benefits by illogically and unfairly favoring one over the other. This dam is a life changing undertaking for all three stakeholders. The dam will change them and the way they at the river from here to the end of time like no other time in the past. I see this ‘crisis’ both as a learning and TEACHING’ opportunity for our old country. I hope and pray that it will all lead to amicable conclusion(agreement). I wish our patriotic countrymen H.E.’s Obbo Gedu, Obbo Seleshi and their crew success in this pressure cooker and grinding endeavor. I am proud of them!!! The Almighty Our Creator Willing!!!!!

[ittuabafarda]

Keeping hope alive and looking towards the finale.

[Za-Ilmaknun]

The good thing is these negotiations are being conducted when the thieves are chased out. They would have sold the country itself if some millions are promised to their fiefdom and their already fattened accounts.

[ittuabafarda]

Well said!!! I am chugging with you on this one!!!

[ittuabafarda]

In one way, I like the way the negotiation is being handled and all three stakeholders are taking the time to ponder over this issue. It is not like a simple border question. This is something that will change how border crossing rivers will be seen from here onward. It will have lasting bearing on future riparian negotiations around the globe. It is going be a bench mark. The ramifications on current and future generation in all of the three countries will be immense. All three countries have the elephant in the rooms that they are at a complete loss how to tame it. They have populations that are exploding in numbers. In just 15 years from now, by 2035, the combined population of these three countries will balloon to a nightmarish 340 million mouths to feed with Egypt and the old country leading the way. All three of them are multiplying like worms. By 2025, a scan 5 years from today the old country will be suffocated with 132 million walking and talking souls. Egypt will grace the 120 million mark. The burden on those handling the current negotiations is a back crushing one, a pressure cooker of the third kind. The way I see it come to amicable result will not be a walk in a park. It will be totally impossible to avoid the bitter pill. There should be goodwill on all three of them to share that bitter pill equally among them. There should not be any sole winner or sole loser. It ain't that easy as we tend to see it here from our comfy homes.

I think they eventually will. They will and MUST arrive at an agreement by cutting thorny corners here and there. The bottom line here is the old country need the dam to generate electricity in abundance that is badly needed for its sorely needed development. Egypt also CAN NOT afford to lose it all!!! Bullying will not fly with the people of the old country. All what everyone involved in this negotiation needs to do is to come to his/her senses. Raw emotion and ‘I am untouchable’ attitude will not cut the mustard. Again, Egypt CAN NOT afford to lose what it already has. The fact the old country should also accept is more than 100 million people outside its territory heavily depend on the waters of this mighty river. Both Sudan and Egypt have a huge sea gracing their borders. They must also have a substantial deposit of water in aquifers beneath their feet. I am encouraged to read comments and articles in prominent Arabic Egyptian news papers talking about such alternative source of potable water. Such discussions were rare even unheard of just for ulterior motives to not giving the old country a point in its argument. But it will take years to put the technology in place. One rattling a saber and the other one telling him ‘Come on and try me because I’m ready for you’ is just sheer childish. I am still hopeful that with the US and World Bank involvement some kind of amicable treaty will be worked out.

THE ISSUE SURROUNDING A DAM ON THIS FAR TRAVELING RIVER HAS BEEN ON THE AGENDA OF EGYPT SINCE LEADERS OF THE OLD COUNTRY BEGAN CONTEMPLATING ABOUT IT. IT CAME TO THE FORE ON NASSER'S AGENDA WHEN SURVEYS WERE CONDUCTED IN THE 1960'S BY THE LATE EMPEROR. AT LEAST THAT WAS WHAT I WAS BEING TOLD WHEN I WAS A STUDENT THERE IN THE MIDDLE EAST IN THE 1960'S. I COULD SEE WHY EGYPT HAD TO WORRY AND NIGHTMARE WHENEVER THERE IS A TALK ABOUT A DAM OR ANY OTHER MAJOR DEVELOPMENT NEWS BY THE OLD COUNTRY. EGYPT IS A CREATION OF THE NILE. NO IFS OR BUTS ABOUT IT. TO A LARGE EXTENT THE SAME CAN GO WITH THE SUDAN. IT NOW CONCERNS A TOTAL POPULATION OF MORE THAN 250 MILLION PEOPLE. IT HAS COME TO A POINT THAT IT HAS TO BE RESOLVED AND RESOLVED AMICABLY TO ALL THREE OF THEM. THEY CAN NOT AVOID THE BITTER PILL AND THE TRICK IS THE WILLINGNESS ON ALL THREE HOW TO SHARE THE DOSAGE EQUITABLY. THERE CAN NOT BE A SOLE WINNER OR LOSER. O'BOY!!! I CAN FEEL THE CRUSHING PRESSURE ON THOSE INVOLVED IN THE NEGOTIATIONS. WHATEVER THEY ARE ABLE TO HAMMER OUT WILL LEAVE A LASTING FOOTPRINT AFFECTING GENERATIONS TO COME. IT IS ALSO GOING TO BE A BENCHMARK FOR FUTURE RIPARIAN NEGOTIATIONS AROUND THE GLOBE. I PRAY FOR THOSE WHO ARE HANDLING THE NEGOTIATION. I AM NOT WORRIED THAT IT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR MONTHS NOW AND IT HAS TO. I AM GLAD THE USA AND WORLD BANK ARE IN THE MIX AT THE NEGOTIATION TABLE. ALL THREE COUNTRIES NEED TO WISE UP SO THEY CAN LEAVE A LEGACY BEHIND, A LEGACY WHERE THE CURRENT AND FUTURE GENERATION WILL LIVE IN HARMONY AS NEIGHBORS.

[ittuabafarda]

Still keeping the hope alive and looking towards the finale!!!

[Ethoash]

ittuabafarda

i read your article but u did not show road map beside giving encouraging word for both parties

here is how u do it u list the benefit of constricting dam in Ethiopia for Egypt

1. Ethiopia get hydro power this means Ethiopia industrialized and less farming less farming means less water demand ..

2. if Ethiopia get hydro the people will cook with electric this means less wood cutting .. less wood cutting means increased the water volume

3. flood control and regulated water is many advantage that Egypt will get from the dam...

4. the Nile's flow of 84 billion cubic liters a year out of this

\55.5 billion cubic liters goes to Egypt .
25.4 billion cubic liters Sudan get
10 billion cubic liters for evaporation
and Ethiopia get half a cap of water that is what Egypt saying now tell me how fair this is.. this logic must be explained well to Egyptian public to show how unfair the deal is ..

5. to do this explanation u should not be politically correct and say ደጉ ተብታባው አማርኛ በቅጡ የማያቀቅ ደደብ አስልፈህ እንዴት ነው ጥራት ያለው ወል የምናገኘው : ደጉ cant speak English so how in hell he is going to communicate with translator ... to me the best people for negation would have been those who study Nile and who speak Arabic ... there are many Muslim Ethiopia could have done this job more effectively then mr. ደጉ

6. another thing also we should communicate with public using our artist here is Amhar come in .. Amhar are good when it come to art there are many Arabic song singer who are Amhara those can be used to cloth the gap

7.i could have said many thing but pls go back and read what i said before

even if we fail with negotiation at least what we should is plant tree and grass that will increased the rain and the water volume this will be good news instead of fight over water shortage we will have extra water if we plant grass and tree. to this end Egypt must pay up..

8. if Ethiopia spend 5 billion dollar to generate power .. at least Egypt must spend the same amount of money to modernized their agriculture simple as drip irrigation

9. ground water that we cry lost can be recharged if we plant tree and grass .. so we can have 100 billion liters of water which means 16 billion liters will be left for Ethiopia to use it for irrigation

10. part two coming soon

[Ethoash]

i wish selam come and commented on this issue ... instead of ልቤን ከሚያወልቀው በሌላ ጉዳይ በማይመለከተው እየገባ

[Selam/]

Buda Woyane - you’re the one interfering with Ethiopia’s matter. You jump from Oromia’s issues to Amhara’s issues while counting your days in Dedebit. An evil person is always evil whether you camouflage yourself with olive trees or sleep on a thorn tree. Since you’re a rock-head mfkr, you may not understand what I have been always saying. I will repeat: No one gives a fvck to a snake. I will whack your head no matter what you scribble as long as I am alive. I will exhume and whack you even if you lay beside the frog. KIFU!

i wish selam come and commented on this issue ... instead of ልቤን ከሚያወልቀው በሌላ ጉዳይ በማይመለከተው እየገባ

[ittuabafarda]

My comment on this sticky and also potentially explosive issue and its purpose is to urge all three stakeholders to somehow come to their senses and draft and agreement. It shows sufficient studies have been conducted on the old country's side both by its own experts and foreign experts. The necessity and benefits of the harnessing of its rivers including this border crossing Blue Nile are made known in black and white since the 1970's. I am not sure if pertinent studies are done by experts on the ground there in Egypt. Lately I have been reading articles and opinion in several Arabic newspapers there on topic like conservation water usage and cleaning the toxic super fund sites dotting the banks of the river there. That is something encouraging but not the whole enchilada. All these issues have to be investigated by independent international experts. I see a bitter pill in solving this dispute. If the old country must be imposed by the limits of retention and releasing of water flow from the river then Egypt should also be under strict conservation and cleaning rules. It should also be expected to intensify water desalination projects in measurable scales. The studies have shown Sudan to benefit from the dam.

Now, we can understand that this issue has been stirring emotions in the old country and Egypt for centuries and I don't believe they can control such raw emotion alone. The negotiation has been going on for almost a decade now. When we thought a deal may be in the offing just to end up seeing them leaving the meeting rooms screaming and calling the other one ugly names. There were even talks of war and threats. We hear one telling the other one like 'if you do it, I am gonna come there and kick your [deleted]' and with the other responding like' come on! I will be ready for you'. Just nonsense! Just to get higher approval rating from their citizens!!! These two will never agree if they are left to their own device on the matter. Someone from outside should come in and throw some weight around. One frightening issue these two nations must be pressured to realize is their exploding population. In both countries new babies are born every few seconds. They must be helped on how to stem that. I am fully aware of how strongly the leaders of both religions feel about family planning in both countries. I hope they will come to the understanding that such runaway population growth will not be sustainable anymore. It is a matter of survival and even existence including for their own institutions. They must be cleverly persuaded so they will be part of the effort and if not, stay neutral.

Then again, this is my take and apparently nobody is perfect.

[ittuabafarda]

Please make that: ....this border crossing Blue Nile are made known in black and white since the 1960's.

[Ethoash]

we need concrete action such as

what Egypt and Sudan must do

for example they have to put aside billion of dollar to clean up Nile river, seawater conversation, underground water utilization and modernizing their own irrigation system.. 20% the money should also go to Ethiopia fun to plant tree and grass

this is a concrete action that should followed and taken .. instead of saying we should all be part of the solution .. list the solution down .

2. Ethiopia should allowed Egypt and Sudan to invest in agriculture in Ethiopia in Nile industrial zone area.. so that Egypt can plant wheat and stop importing wheat and the left over sold locally ...this build trust and make both country benefactor of the Nile river

3. Egypt instead of wasting her mount buying Gun they should use the money to develop green house farming or use the money properly.

4. Ethiopia should build 100 of check dam this way no dirt will go to Nile dam

5. send Arabic singing Ambassador

6. invite Cairo university students to visit Nile dam and explain to them Ethiopia doesn't take the water but we use the power with the water

7. once the Egyptian students seen the Nile dam and drink the water from sources both side before and after the dam and test the water if it have any kind of difference test.. this show Ethiopia doesn't altered the water..

meles once bbC SENDING their reporter to start war with Kenya saying Ethiopia is damming their drinking water. Meles called the main activists and make them drink the water after and before the dam and the Kenyan activist declare the water is safe.. this is how he win the heart and the mind of the people this method must work once again...

[captain_obvious]

Its a hydropower dam, it will have to send the water away to run after the short filling time, I dont understand what all the fuss is about.

[Ethoash]

Its a hydropower dam, it will have to send the water away to run after the short filling time, I dont understand what all the fuss is about.

the problem is there is no one who can explain this none of them speak good English we r talking about ጉዱ ካሳ ። እናቱ ይህንን አውቃ ጉዱ ብለዋለች ለምን ይንን የወደቅ ቅጠል ማንስታችን ነው የገረመኝ። አረብኛ የሚናገር ሰው ትንሽም ስለ አባይ ያጠና ከተገኘ ነገሩ በጣም ቀላል ነው። ግን ቢቢሲ እና የመሳሰሉት ውሃው ሊገደብ ነው አያሉ ማፋሽክ ጀመሪ

[ittuabafarda]

This dam has become the talk of town because of the age of information and more of the misinformation we live in. Dams have always been subjects of controversy and in several cases they had ended up being so destructive when poorly planned and built. We all remember the death toll from two ill conceived and built dams in the commies' China in 1975. The commies reported the death toll for the two failed dams at 170,000 people but one refugee from the former Soviet Union once told me to multiply any number of casualties reported by commies by 10 to get the correct figure.

But dams can bring out almost miraculous results. Let’s take the Hoover Dam built in the 1930’s during the raging depression. It provided good wages for the desperate jobless citizens including the surrounding native tribes even though it had a devastating effect on the delta downstream. But it gave birth to the sprawling Las Vegas which is now home to more than 2 million metropolitans. Without the Hoover Dam there would never be any Little Ethiopia with its drop-dead beauty founded by runaways from despotism. But let’s think about the dam if it was planned in our time. It may have no chance in this day of information and rampart misinformation. That is what GERD is facing today. There is no question it will bring miracle(if executed wisely and properly) to the old country and other countries in the area including Egypt. If it is poorly managed ravaged with runaway corruption just like many dams in other African countries it may end inflicting irreversible damage to the ecosystem from its source all the way to delta by the city of Alexandria. I am sure our own very capable experts in the field have weighed all the factors and potential issues during, after the completion and when it goes operational. Godspeed!!!!

[ittuabafarda]

In all honesty, this dam issue is the least of my worries now. What left me with sleepless nights is the current scourge that is wreaking havoc on the population of many countries. The world economy is taking telling blows from the specter with indices tanking. I am worried witless about the current pandemic, the corona-virus. Some experts are heard saying that the already warm climate on many sub-Saharan countries may work against the virus. I am banking on that notion. But I am still worried. I can’t even start to imagine a scene with this deadly disease dropping people like flies in the highlands of Western Hararghe, central, south, west and northern Ethiopia where bigots are roaming like rabid dogs. I don’t wanna just imagine such a scenario. I’m calling on all of you my dear countrymen/women to fill up your places of worship and throw yourself at the feet of The Almighty Our Creator and pray!!!! Beg For The Lord’s Mercy and Blessings!!!! He Has Never Forsaken that gem of the colored and with our Blessed Prayers He Will Not Abandon it!!!! May The Merciful Lord Protect His Children Here, There and Everywhere!!!!!

[Ethoash]

ittuabafarda dont be an idiot ..... if Ethiopian people listen to u and went to pry in their church .. i dont mind because when the virus hit they will be population control ...we got hit by war, by Aids, by famine by so many Biblical Disasters but our number multiplied like fly so dont worry we will over come this virus.. or llsten what WHO SAID AND SAVE YOURSELF..

IN Ethiopia when you have cold they used to wear መሐረብ mouth mask ... but this public health education lost in us and everyone coughing none stop.. on your face now our new public health minister must teach the old way of protecting the people by washing hand and wearing mask or መሐረብ .. telling them to go to church is not the answer in fact that is where u get the virus when people in close together...

Basic protective measures against the new coronavirus
Stay aware of the latest information on the COVID-19 outbreak, available on the WHO website and through your national and local public health authority. COVID-19 is still affecting mostly people in China with some outbreaks in other countries. Most people who become infected experience mild illness and recover, but it can be more severe for others. Take care of your health and protect others by doing the following:

Wash your hands frequently
Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.

Why? Washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands.

Maintain social distancing
Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.

Why? When someone coughs or sneezes they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease.

Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth
Why? Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and can make you sick.

Practice respiratory hygiene
Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.

Why? Droplets spread virus. By following good respiratory hygiene you protect the people around you from viruses such as cold, flu and COVID-19.

If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early
Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance. Follow the directions of your local health authority.

Why? National and local authorities will have the most up to date information on the situation in your area. Calling in advance will allow your health care provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This will also protect you and help prevent spread of viruses and other infections.

[ittuabafarda]

The headline read: 'Ethiopia pulls out of US meeting on Nile dam' and that does not indicate it pulling out of the discussion altogether. These three orphans better stay in the room and keep talking. This dam issue is not supposed to be a subject for conniving elements to create hysteria and use it to feed on the raw emotion of the gullible. To my understanding the river was re-routed to facilitate to construction, the construction is going full throttle 24/7 and I'm 100% confident that our very patriotic and determined countryman H.E. Seleshi bin Bekele will start filling up the dam the very time it is ready. So what will either Sudan or Egypt do that they did not do when the river was re-routed or so far? What is it? What? Speak up!!!!

But I know what el-Sisi will do. He will do the same thing he and his predecessors have done. They will conduct roll calls for the bigots among us. He will open his nation’s coffers to use these disgustingly faceless scabs to destabilize the old country. Brace yourself for brand new spanking media outfits, TV stations and marauding terrorist gangs throughout the country. That is what el-Sisi is going to do.


What the Egyptian side wants is not that mystery. They know that there is nothing to be done to stop the building of the dam thru completion. That is a dead giveaway. What Egypt needs is partially clear and includes several items. It wants to a managing party in running the dam when and after it is read, not from outside looking in but on site as a member of running the dam. That is not all. I guarantee you this wherein Egypt will claim a loss in its GDP amounting in billions because of the dam and will demand immediate and annual/periodic remuneration on its terms only. That means the old country will have to cough up billions no matter what. There a drought; I don't give a damn, pay me!!! My economy is on a down side; I don't care, pay me!!!! Egypt's el-Sisi this dam is going to be a shot in the arm for the old country. The dam, if managed properly, will generate huge amount of cheap electricity that will unleash a booming industrialization. Sisi know that and may want to turn the old country into becoming a cash cow. Egypt has never sustained itself without handouts. Nile itself was and has been a handout. Cold war was a handout to Egypt more than any North and Sub-Saharan countries. Middle East crisis has been a feeder line to Egypt since 1948. Now the specter of terrorism is the ice on the 'halawa' for the rulers there. It has been getting all what it wants all along from the former Soviet Union and now from the West. Can someone explain to why does Egypt need F-16's and the latest Mirage jets? It has signed an accord with its former adversary, Israel and there has virtual peace between the two. So why does Egypt have to have these and other advanced military hardware? Because its rulers say so. I want 50 F-16's; you got it!! I want 50 Mirages and I want it now!!! You got it!!! I want to build this submarine and I need to have the technology, now!!! You got it!!! I want those tough cookie 'abd's' [ deleted ] in Addis/Finfine in the grinder and I want your help and I need it now; you got it!! I think Egypt is now suffering from a serious bout of affluenza now.