 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 10 - 16 August 2000 Issue No. 494 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 10 - 16 August 2000 Issue No. 494
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Books Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Sharing a lifeline
By Fatemah Farag
Ten states share the River Nile, an imperious lifeline of water which links the fate of the riparian nations. Originating in Lake Victoria, the White Nile flows 6,680km through Lake Albert down the Murchison Falls and through 50km of cataracts at Gondorko. The Blue Nile begins in the highlands of Ethiopia and stretches 1,600km until it meets the White Nile at Khartoum. The waters then flow a further 3,200 km before finally emptying into the Mediterranean.
The management of this vast waterway in a manner that accommodates the interests of 10 developing nations (Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Congo, Rwanda and Zaire) has proven to be a formidable task. This challenge has been once again addressed at the 4-5 August Riparian Countries Ministerial Meeting held in Khartoum.
"We are embarking on a phase which will require intense negotiations," Mahmoud Abu Zeid, the Egyptian Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources, told reporters upon his return from Khartoum. "The meetings were successful in setting deadlines according to which the preparation of specific projects, as well as the resolution of points of contention, should be completed."
The two-day event was attended by ministers of irrigation from all the riparian Nile states with the exception of Kenya, Congo and Rwanda which were represented by their ambassadors. Taking part for the first time, as an observer, was the Eritrean Minister of Water Resources.
Abu Zeid described the agenda of the conference as "full" and the mood as "very positive and cooperative." He added that technical committees had met ahead of the conference and stayed on afterwards to discuss implementation issues.
Prominent on the agenda were proposals for United Vision projects -- water resource management initiatives covering the basin as a whole. The minister said, "Egypt suggested six such projects covering the areas of resource development, agriculture, energy, communication, environment, and human development as well as a project to study the effects of global climatic change on Nile resources. These projects, along with the suggestions of other countries, will be collectively studied and refined by the technical committees. Once approved, they will be presented to a World Bank donors meeting in Geneva next February."
According to World Bank estimates, the global water market is worth $800 billion. The four largest water companies are ranked among the 100 largest corporations in the world. There is money in water and the scale of the upcoming Geneva meetings reflects its economic importance.
The Global Water Conference earlier this year indicated its support for the greater promotion of water as a commodity and the privatisation of water facilities as the optimal management strategy. However, this policy is opposed by many developing nations whose citizens simply cannot afford to pay. A basic need would be denied them.
Commenting on the possibility of financial pressure being applied to riparian states to conform to the commodity promotion strategy, Abu Zeid said that "previous decisions on issues such as privatisation are merely general suggestions. It remains up to each country to decide national policy. In principle, we promote private sector development, regardless of whether this sector is water or otherwise." The minister added, however, that "we are greatly dependent on the Geneva conference because we need extensive funding."
A crucial point of concern at the Khartoum conference was the draft legal and institutional framework for the riparian states, known as the D3, which has been on the negotiating table for the past two and a half years. Sources said that some articles remained the subject of disagreement and needed further study. The date for a final resolution is next March. Abu Zeid noted, "Still on the table are questions such as how to calculate future quotas. Should it be according to the size of territory or the size of the population, or possibly the availability of other water resources? We all have different ideas for answers and this remains to be resolved."
Asked if the General Agreement for Trade of Services (GATS) was a subject of debate, Abu Zeid responded with a scowl, "Our position on selling water resources within the basin is well-known." Of particular concern is the issue of selling outside the basin since Egypt is the final country in the watershed. Abu Zeid, however, prefers not to emphasise points of difference, in an effort to ensure the best possible negotiating climate.
In accordance with the 1959 agreement between Egypt and Sudan, the Egyptian annual water quota now stands at 55.5 billion cubic metres, with 85 per cent of the water coming from Ethiopia. Today, Egypt consumes 70 billion cubic metres, with additional demand being met from ground water sources and recycling. Yet, the need to increase the Nile water quota remains an open question.
The tension that could result form this situation was vividly illustrated in 1977 when then Ethiopian President Mengistu Haile Mariam claimed the right to unilateral decisions on the utilisation of Nile water. Then President Anwar El-Sadat declared firmly that any such action would be considered a reason for war.
In fact, the threat of conflict has long overshadowed actual cooperation among the countries of the Nile Basin. The Hyrdonet project of the 1960s has provided a lot of basic statistics and information. The TechnoNile Project from 1975 until 1991 is another significant development and the Nile Initiative was further developed in 1997 to include meetings on the ministerial level.
"The significance of the Khartoum meetings is that all 10 countries are now negotiating together. Previously, discussions and actions were limited to bilateral frameworks, or possibly talks between three or four countries. Today, we finally have everyone working together, which is a very positive indication for the future of cooperation between the countries of the Nile," Abdel-Rahman Shalabi, Abu Zeid's adviser on water policies, told Al-Ahram Weekly.
Furthermore, "Egypt has also been allowed to participate in meetings of the Equatorial Plateau countries as well as meetings of the Ethiopian Plateau countries -- both sub-groups of the basin. "This was a very positive step and our bilateral talks with countries such as Uganda and Tanzania have really helped," said Abu Zeid.
