MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2020) The Sudanese Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources announced that the Blue Nile River's flow rate has decreased and that the retreat was equivalent to 90 million cubic meters per day after Ethiopia announced the start of filling the Renaissance Dam.
Ethiopian Irrigation Minister Seleshi Bekele announced on Wednesday the start of filling the reservoir of the Renaissance Dam, around which complex negotiations are underway between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan. The first stage will see the dam filled with 4.9 billion cubic meters of water.
"From the water gauges located at the Ad-Dim station bordering Ethiopia, there has been a decrease of the water flow of about 90 million cubic meters of water per day, which confirms the closure of the damper valves of the Renaissance Dam," the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry also stated that it opposes "any unilateral action by either side amid the ongoing efforts of the African Union to reach consensus between the three countries."
Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan in the first half of June resumed negotiations suspended in February on the Ethiopian dam. Since early July, the dialogue has been mediated by the African Union. On Monday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry said that the new round of negotiations ended with no agreement.
