Egypt and Ethiopia clash over Nile dam as water scarcity looms around the world

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The dispute over the Nile, the world’s longest river, is nearing a climax. At stake are the lives and livelihoods of the millions of people who depend on water.

Egypt objects to Ethiopia’s efforts to start operating a $4.8 billion dam on a major tributary of the Nile, a hydropower project it hopes will transform the country’s social and economic sphere, without a binding agreement that preserves Cairo’s rights to water. .

Egypt views this project as a threat that could cut off nearly every major source of water for the country’s rapidly growing population. The country has exercised significant control over access to the Nile River since colonial times.

Water scarcity has become a geopolitical, economic and commercial concern around the world, as populations compete with agriculture and industry.

The dispute over the Nile River is one of the world’s major flashpoints over water rights. Disputes have intensified in recent years over how much water each country along the Nile and its tributaries can draw, with the United States and other African nations seeking to help mediate disputes.

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