Climate change is likely to usher in a future of unpredictable rains -- more intense droughts and more intense cloudbursts.
So water needs to be stored and shared. That raises huge challenges between countries. In this case, Egypt & Ethiopia:
nytimes.com/interactive/20…
The Blue Nile begins here on Lake Tana in Ethiopia, its islands dotted with ancient monasteries.
It flows through the mountains and then into the lowlands near the Sudan border.
The Ethiopians call the river Abay. It is as vital to their identity as the Nile is to Egyptians.
For the last 8 years, Ethiopia has been building what will be Africa's largest hydroelectric dam, a megaproject with the potential to light up millions of homes, earn billions from electricity sales to neighboring countries and confirm Ethiopia’s place as a rising African power.
On a tour of the project, in 2018, its former chief engineer, Semegnew Bekele, cited the Hoover Dam in the United States as inspiration. Soon after, he was found dead, in his Toyota Landcruiser, a gunshot wound to his head.
The dam is projected to start filling in July, during the 2020 rainy season.
How quickly will it be filled? What will happen if there's a bad drought year?
Negotiations continue between Egypt, Ethiopia & Sudan (the country sandwiched between).
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