Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Hani Sewilam, cautioned against the dangers of Ethiopia’s unilateral actions on shared river basins, citing the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam as a prime example. He highlighted concerns regarding the dam’s construction without consultation or comprehensive studies on its safety and socio-economic impact on downstream nations.
Speaking at the opening session of the Fourth International Baghdad Water Conference on Sunday, Sewilam emphasized that such unilateral and non-cooperative practices constitute a breach of international law, including the Declaration of Principles signed in 2015, and are inconsistent with the Security Council statement issued in September 2021.
He warned that the continuation of these practices poses an existential threat to over 150 million citizens and stressed that effective transboundary water cooperation is indispensable for Egypt.
Sewilam further noted that the timing of the conference coincides with increasing challenges faced by Palestinians in the occupied territories to meet their water needs. He described Israeli attacks in Gaza as a serious and catastrophic threat to the humanitarian situation, particularly concerning water and sanitation services for besieged civilian populations, despite water provision being a humanitarian service guaranteed by international humanitarian law.
