It was a mixed bag on the airwaves last night,with the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the G20 summit, and Saturday’s earthquake in Morocco all getting coverage.

GERD went big after the Ethiopian prime minister yesterday announced that the country had finished the fourth and final phase of the filling of the dam ’s reservoir. El Hekaya’s Amr Adib, still broadcasting from London, got the reaction of Cairo University water resources professor Abbas Sharaky (watch, runtime: 3:11 | 23:39) while Ala Mas’ouleety dedicated a shorter segment to the news (watch, runtime: 3:28). We have more details on the story in this morning’s news well, above.

Does final really mean final? Sharaky cast doubt on the language used by the Ethiopian government, suggesting that it could continue to fill the reservoir in the coming years and further jeopardize Egypt and Sudan’s water security. The dam was constructed to hold around 74 bn cubic meters of water but currently Ethiopia has stored only 41 bn cbm. “If this was indeed the final filling, then it’s good news,” he said. “A half bomb is better than a full 74-bn cubic-meter bomb.”

A call for international help: Sharaky argued that more international parties must have an active role at the negotiating table, a suggestion frequently rejected by Ethiopia. Egypt has repeatedly called for new mediators to join the African Union in leading the talks, and has lobbied the UN Security Council to pressure Addis Ababa to come to the table.

Suez Canal threatened by proposed India-MENA trade link? Not a chance, Ala Mas’ouleety host Ahmed Moussa confidently told his audience last night, while listing a host of other potential problems with the project including the price and the length of time it’ll take to get up and running (watch, runtime 17:05). In what is being seen as the West’s answer to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the proposed project, unveiled at the G20 summit this weekend, would see US and EU funding help finance the construction of new rail networks in the Middle East and port infrastructure in India to boost trade links between South Asia, the Gulf and Europe.

ALSO GETTING AIRTIME LAST NIGHT-

  • G20: There was more comment on President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s trip to India for the G20 summit, courtesy of journalist Bilal El Dawi who appeared on Al Hayah Al Youm (watch, runtime: 18:37).
  • Morocco earthquake: The deadly earthquake that struck Morocco on Saturday continued getting attention on the airwaves, with Masaa DMC (watch, runtime: 2:09) and Al Hayah Al Youm (watch, runtime: 3:59) both covering the latest updates.
Tags: