The Renaissance Dam | Credit | Courtesy

As hostilities between Egypt and Ethiopia continue over the Nile waters, the Presidential Press Secretary says South Sudan will come out to claim its shares of the river when it fully restores peace.

Since 2011, Ethiopia has been building a new hydroelectric dam that is promising to revive its economy and bring electricity to millions of people in mostly rural areas.

Basically, the problem is more about the duration in which the dam will be filled, and the quicker it is filled, the more Egypt suffers.

Egypt, which largely relies on the Nile waters for agriculture, fears filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile River could reduce the Nile’s water levels.

If Ethiopia decides to fill the Renaissance Dam over the course of 10 years, Egypt’s water deficit is expected to increase by 8 billion cubic meters annually, or approximately 14% of the country’s annual share of the river, Aljazeera reports.

Nearly two million acres (about 8094 km2) or about 18% of Egypt’s agricultural lands could be lost.

Filling the Renaissance Dam over the course of three years would have the most severe consequences for Egypt. It could lose up to 27 billion cubic meters annually, or approximately 50% of its water share. 6.75 million acres (20234sq kilometers) or about 67% percent of Egypt’s agricultural area could be lost.

Recently, there have been several negotiations hosted by the United States but there is no agreement yet.

The dam’s negotiations have been through many controversies, with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi strongly rebuking Ethiopia on Tuesday, accusing Addis Ababa of stalling negotiations and moving ahead with plans to start filling the reservoir before reaching a deal.

This was after back and forth counter online contests regarding how Ethiopia will fill the dam.

Due to the continued hostilities between the countries, some South Sudanese activists and members of the public say South Sudan should join the ongoing negotiations to claim its Nile waters.

However, Ateny Wek Ateny says the country is yet preoccupied with implementing the revitalized peace agreement.

“The Nile is inside South Sudan and it’s our national right to develop our country using hydroelectric power by using the same Nile,” Ateny told Eye Radio on Monday.

“[But] this is not the time for South Sudan to claim right over Nile waters.”

The Nile Basin is shared by 280 million people across 11 countries. The basin is one of the largest in the world, covering approximately 10% of the entire African continent.

Despite this, many countries in the region face a water deficit. Growing populations, economic development and climate change have placed additional strains on water resources.