PPMP20014 Discussion Forum 4: Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

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PPMP20014 DISCUSSION FORUM 4
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Contents
Introduction.........................................................................................................................................3
Discussion Forum................................................................................................................................4
The number of variables associated with the GERD dam............................................................4
Ambiguity.........................................................................................................................................4
Uncertainty.......................................................................................................................................5
Dynamics..........................................................................................................................................5
Social Structure and interrelationships.........................................................................................6
Conclusion............................................................................................................................................7
References............................................................................................................................................8
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Introduction
Here in this discussion forum four, the major discussion is on the Grand Ethiopian
Renaissance Dam. The ICCPM highlighted the issues on the Roundtables and presented some
parameters that are contributed to the complexity of the project. And these parameters have to
be discussed in this discussion forum.
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Discussion Forum
The number of variables associated with the GERD dam
This Dam project is in the capital of Addis that is Ababa, and it is located 500 km in the north
west of the region of Benishangul this is with the Blue Nile. The Grand Ethiopian
Renaissance is the largest Dam in Africa, and this Dam is 1800 m in length and 155 m high in
height, and also this has the capacity of about 74,000 million meter cube. This project is
constructed in the RCC (Roller Compacted Concrete), and have a total of two power stations
that is in the foot of the dam. The power stations are located on the left and the right side of
the river banks, and it has a total of 16 turbines and has the capacity of generating the power
of about 6000 MW, and there is the estimation of producing 15,000 GWh per year (Mulat, et
al., 2014).
There are many variables that are associated with the GERD Dam, such as Disputes of water,
climate change on the Nile, political systems, and so on.
Water Disputes: these type of the disputes are occurring in the open and the changing of the
systems that includes many interactions, stakeholders and the interdependencies due to this it
becomes difficult to manage some complex systems.
Change of climate on the Nile: impact on the Nile of the climate change is investigated by the
intergovernmental panel.
Political system: according to the ICCM, the political system are also much wired, and it is
the major challenges in the system.
Ambiguity
Foundation conditions: the foundation of the infrastructure of the Dam is done with the roller
compacted concrete, there is no restriction of the height in RCC Dams (Cascão, et al., 2016).
The main issue arises is that the engineers always search for the right place for making the
dam with the roller compacted concrete a place where there is no shears and any other faults,
and if any type of misshapen occurred with this RCC dam then this problems goes very
expensive. The government thinks about this because GERD Dam has the capacity of
generating 6,400 MW of the electricity due to this GERD has occurred with some major
controversy in the Blue Nile region. And the country goes in the low water supply.
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Cost of construction and the maintenance: Egypt and Sudan have the water deficit and some
parts of Ethiopia are struggle with the flooding. The stakeholders which are in this project has
not made to effective strategies because this has become the reason for disputes between two
regions.
Environmental changes: the construction of this dam may result in the negative as well as
positive impacts from the environmental conditions. Because the impact of the environment
also affects the other countries due to the river basins such as on the Nile river. This river
affects the other countries such as Sudan and Egypt and makes a negative impact. This is
because of the design of the Dam without finding the full range of the impacts on many other
countries (King, et al., 2014).
Uncertainty
The imperfect knowledge and the face the range of unknowns, the uncertainty demonstrate
the water disputes to be complex. It is very difficult in the complex system of water to plan
for the outcomes, and there is no idea about to predict the major impacts of changing of the
water supply, the ICCM also gives their point of view on the roundtables about this disputes.
This uncertainty also arises from the unstable interactions between the natural and the human
systems. The multiples of the interest from foreign is to be invested in the resources on the
countries of the Nile. There are also some of the developed countries are forced to achieve
the land that is under Nile Basin and also they give the assurance for feeding their growing
populations. This type of deals increase the range interests and the stakeholders added in the
problem and from this many other variables may increase the level of uncertainty and manage
the water that is going to be shared with other countries.
Dynamics
The changes that are happened during the project of GERD:
The issue of the water at the international level is the issue that was raised to the Grand
Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. This GERD Dam offers the challenges and the opportunity. In
the case of the opportunity, it offers socioeconomic benefits to the region with the
coordination of the hydraulic infrastructure and the management for the water regulatory
management. And also there are downstream, and the upstream has major differences on the
Nile river water (Tesfa, 2013).
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The second issue is with the implication of the downstream riparian when the hydropower
construction on the river Nile but the GERD is located on the upstream of the border of
Sudan. The filling of the Dam gives clear implications on the downstream of the flows in
Sudan and the part of Egypt.
The water war is the third issues that are raised on the construction of the GERD dam
because it reduces the supply of water in the downstream countries such as Sudan and also
Egypt.
Social Structure and interrelationships
This GERD dam is constructed for a good cause for the country and to generate power
through power station that is fit in the foot of the GERD and for the special cause they want
to feed the country's population with the help of this GERD dam.
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Conclusion
This discussion forum provides the information about the disputes and benefits of the
construction of GERD dam, and also the major discussion is done on the many variables and
the complexity of this project, their uncertainty, dynamics, and social interrelationships,
uncertainty, Ambiguity and other things.
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References
 Cascão, A.E. and Nicol, A., (2016). GERD: new norms of cooperation in the Nile
Basin?. Water International, 41(4), pp.550-573.
 King, A. and Block, P., (2014). An assessment of reservoir filling policies for the
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Journal of Water and Climate Change, 5(2),
pp.233-243.
 Mulat, A.G. and Moges, S.A., (2014). Assessment of the impact of the Grand
Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the performance of the High Aswan Dam. Journal
of Water Resource and Protection, 6(06), p.583.
 Tesfa, B., (2013). Benefit of grand Ethiopian renaissance dam project (GERDP)
for Sudan and Egypt.
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