Prioritize Nile Water Quantity Than Just Focusing On Agreements -President Museveni To Egypt
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged Egypt to shift its focus from strictly adhering to the Nile Waters Agreements, which have constrained the equitable use of the river across the basin, towards increasing the quantity of water in the Nile.
Represented by the Vice President Jessica Alupo at the 7th Nile Basin Development Forum at Commonwealth Resort Munyonyo, Museveni emphasized the importance of prioritizing greater water volume in the Nile, particularly highlighting the Khartoum Agreement.
He believes that a shift towards environmental conservation and protection will bolster the Nile’s water volume, enabling all basin countries to use the river equitably for production.
This approach could lead to heightened production and increased utilization of clean energy sources like electricity, benefiting the basin while reducing biomass energy usage and safeguarding biodiversity in the Nile River catchment area.
The utilization of Nile River waters has long been a contentious issue between downstream and upstream countries, resulting in various agreements, none of which have garnered unanimous approval from all basin countries.
The primary disputes revolve around two key agreements. The Anglo-Egyptian Agreement of 1929 allocated 48 billion cubic meters of Nile water annually to Egypt, with Sudan receiving 4 billion cubic meters within the same period.
This accord also granted Egypt veto powers over construction projects on the river and its tributaries to minimize interference with the Nile’s flow.
Recently, there has been a standoff between Egypt and Ethiopia over Addis Ababa’s decision to construct a dam on the Nile.
The other significant agreement is the renowned Khartoum Agreement of
