In a recent development, the head of civil aviation authority, Ethiopia has said on Monday, October 5 that it banned all flights over a gigantic hydropower dam which is being built on the Blue Nile River for security reasons. According to the international media reports, the Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde said that the dam would produce power within the next 12 months. As per reports, the new move might affect Ethiopia's ongoing dispute with Egypt and Sudan over its $4 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, with Cairo threatening to cut off the main supply of water. Giving a speech to the Parliament, Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde reportedly said that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam this year will generate power with the two turbines and further added that a second filling of the giant hydropower dam is under construction and will be completed by next year. According to the researchgate reports, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has attracted significant attention from both the scientific and political communities due to its strong socio-economic and geo-political importance.

Source: Ethiopian News October 06, 2020 02:26 UTC