{"id":606097,"date":"2023-09-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-11T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2023\/09\/11\/should-we-be-gerding-ourselves-for-more\/"},"modified":"2023-09-11T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-09-11T00:00:00","slug":"should-we-be-gerding-ourselves-for-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2023\/09\/11\/should-we-be-gerding-ourselves-for-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Should we be GERDing ourselves for more?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was a mixed bag on the airwaves last night<\/strong>,with the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the G20 summit, and Saturday\u2019s earthquake in Morocco all getting coverage.<\/p>\n

GERD went big after <\/strong> the Ethiopian prime minister yesterday announced that the country had finished the fourth and final phase of the filling of the dam <\/strong>\u2019s reservoir. El Hekaya\u2019s Amr Adib, still broadcasting from London, got the reaction of Cairo University water resources professor Abbas Sharaky (watch, runtime: 3:11<\/a> | 23:39<\/a>) while Ala Mas\u2019ouleety dedicated a shorter segment to the news (watch, runtime: 3:28<\/a>). We have more details on the story in this morning\u2019s news well, above. <\/p>\n

Does final really mean final? <\/strong>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\u2019s water security. The dam was constructed to hold around 74 bn cubic meters of water but currently Ethiopia has stored only 41 bn cbm. \u201cIf this was indeed the final filling, then it\u2019s good news,\u201d he said. \u201cA half bomb is better than a full 74-bn cubic-meter bomb.\u201d<\/p>\n

A call for international help: <\/strong>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.<\/p>\n

Suez Canal threatened by proposed India-MENA trade link? Not a chance<\/strong>, Ala Mas\u2019ouleety 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\u2019ll take to get up and running (watch, runtime 17:05<\/a>). In what is being seen as the West\u2019s answer to China\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

ALSO GETTING AIRTIME LAST NIGHT- <\/strong><\/p>\n