After local media warning about the risks posed by closing the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) spillway gates, a leading Egyptian water expert announced on Thursday that Ethiopia has reopened the upper spillway gates.
Dr. Abbas Sharaqi, a geology and water resources professor at Cairo University, confirmed the reopening, stating that Ethiopia was forced to take this action to protect the dam’s structure after the gates had been closed for eight days.
Sharaqi noted that Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had opened some of the spillway gates on August 24, releasing around 250 million cubic meters of water daily for four days. However, the gates were abruptly shut on August 28, coinciding with Egyptian military movements in Somalia. Storage continued until September 4, when the dam’s water level reached around 638 meters above sea level, nearing its maximum storage capacity of 60 billion cubic meters.
He emphasized that continued closure would have raised the water level to 640 meters, endangering the main dam and saddle dam. Sharaqi compared it to the Aswan High Dam, where Lake Nasser’s water level is strictly kept below 182 meters, even though the dam’s height reaches 192 meters.
Sharaqi advised Ethiopia to halt storage immediately, as only two meters remained before reaching the middle passage level, which Ethiopia is trying to complete with a bridge. Allowing water to pass would delay this construction.
