Addis Ababa, July 29, 2026 (FMC) — Ethiopia’s Minister of Water and Energy, Habtamu Itefa, has dismissed Egypt’s recent claims over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) as a campaign built on false narratives that cannot withstand scientific evidence and hydrological realities.
In an exclusive interview with Fana Media Corporation, the Minister said recent allegations that GERD has reduced water availability downstream ignore both long-term hydrological records and the actual climatic conditions affecting the Abbay (Blue Nile) Basin this year.
According to the Minister, Egypt has repeatedly attempted to portray GERD as the cause of reduced water levels downstream, including at the Aswan Dam. He described such allegations as “totally false and wrong,” arguing that they disregard the scientific reality of significantly reduced rainfall across the Ethiopian highlands this season.
Habtamu explained that Ethiopia cannot release water that has not entered the reservoir, stressing that inflows into GERD are determined by rainfall rather than political decisions.
To support his argument, the Minister cited about 90 years of hydrological records from the Abbay River at the Sudan border, noting that annual flows have historically fluctuated considerably. He said historical records include years in which annual flows dropped to about 26 billion cubic meters, while flows between 30 and 36 billion cubic meters have repeatedly occurred over the decades.
The current situation, he said, reflects those natural hydrological variations rather than any operational decision related to GERD.
The Minister further argued that Egyptian authorities are fully aware of the scientific background but continue, in his words, to promote false narratives and accusations against Ethiopia before the international community.
He also criticized what he described as recent attempts by Egyptian media to intensify pressure on Ethiopia through repeated reports linking GERD to downstream water shortages, saying such narratives ignore both hydrological data and the actual operating conditions of the dam.
Habtamu added that some reports have even relied on outdated images of GERD taken while it was still under construction, describing such practices as further evidence that the campaign is driven by political narratives rather than facts.
The Minister maintained that scientific evidence and the operational realities of GERD continue to contradict allegations that the project has caused downstream water shortages, emphasizing that Ethiopia remains committed to transparent, fact-based engagement on the management of the Abbay River.