Egypt underlines ‘primary safeguard’ amid Nile fluctuations, slams Ethiopia’s ‘reckless’ GERD management

CAIRO – 3 October 2025: Egypt has sent a message of reassurance to citizens after floods impacted several villages in neighboring Sudan, reaffirming that the Aswan High Dam remains “the primary safeguard” protecting the country from Nile fluctuations.

Meanwhile, Egypt has accused Ethiopia of “reckless” management of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which triggered an unusually severe and delayed flood on the Nile beyond the normal seasonal peak.

In a statement on Friday, the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation condemned Ethiopia’s unilateral management of the mega dam, which is capable of holding back up to 74 billion cubic meters.

The ministry stressed that sudden, uncoordinated water releases last month created a “man-made flood” that inundated farmland and villages in Sudan and “placed the lives and resources of the populations of the two downstream countries (Egypt and Sudan) at risk.”

Egypt emphasized that such unilateral practices by Ethiopia “lack the most basic standards of responsibility and transparency, and pose a direct threat to the lives and security of the peoples of the downstream countries.”

Moreover, the “unregulated and chaotic” dam management, Egypt stressed, “exposes as false Ethiopia’s repeated claims that its actions cause no harm to others.”

Cairo accused Addis Ababa of “political exploitation of water at the expense of human lives and regional security.”

Unregulated Dam Filling

The Egyptian ministry detailed the scientific reasons behind the “man-made flood,” blaming it on “Ethiopian rush to complete the filling in an unregulated manner … in pursuit of a mere media snapshot” during the dam’s inauguration on 9 September.

Egypt accused Ethiopian dam operators of “flouting accepted technical and scientific practices” by stockpiling far more water than expected at the end of August while sharply reducing releases from about 280 million cubic meters a day to just 110 million cubic meters on 8 September.

The ministry affirmed that Ethiopia, instead, should have followed a gradual and scientifically regulated process of storing water in GERD between July and October, before releasing it steadily throughout the year to generate electricity.

The Blue Nile’s flood season runs from July to October and typically peaks in August, the statement noted.

The ministry stated that the recent unilateral filling of the dam by Ethiopian operators was designed to quickly raise water levels to 640 meters above sea level.

Ethiopia then opened the dam’s middle spillway and emergency spillway for only a few hours, solely for a “media snapshot and political show” during the inauguration “without any regard for water safety or the interests of downstream states.”

‘Reckless Filling, Discharging Decisions’

The Egyptian ministry said Ethiopia abruptly and ‘without justification’ released massive volumes of stored water, estimated at about 2 billion cubic meters during September alone.

On 10 September, after the dam inauguration, operators discharged an estimated 485 million cubic meters of water in a single day, followed by “sudden and unexplained” surges that peaked at 780 million cubic meters on September 27, before dropping to 380 million on September 30.

Estimates showed a drop of nearly one meter, equivalent to the release of about 2 billion cubic meters of stored water, besides the normal flood-related discharges.

This, Egypt said, increased the volume of water released downstream and underscored “the unregulated and chaotic nature of the dam’s management.”

“The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation believes that what happened on the Blue Nile – the hastened, unlawful filling of the Ethiopian dam followed by the massive release of water immediately after the so‑called inauguration ceremony — was not a necessary action, but rather reflects an unregulated and irresponsible management of a dam of this scale.”

Egypt’s Preventive Measures

Concluding its 14-point statement, the ministry reassured citizens that the state, through all its agencies, monitors the situation around the clock.

The ministry also reassured citizens that Egypt’s water resource management is conducted with high efficiency and careful planning, accounting for all contingencies to ensure water needs are met and lives and property are protected.

Meanwhile, the ministry warned that encroachments on the Nile’s floodplain in the form of cultivation or construction on these lands have usually caused losses when water levels rise, despite these areas not being designated for permanent agriculture.

The ministry said it annually warns citizens and undertakes substantial and costly operations to safeguard the crops and property of violators as “part of the national fabric.”

“Nonetheless, continued violations by a small number of individuals hinder water delivery to tens of millions of citizens and farmers, adversely affecting agricultural activity and the national economy as a whole.”

In anticipation of potential flooding, the ministry took precautionary measures, including issuing a directive to all governors early in September to alert citizens to remain vigilant.

Governors were instructed to urge residents to take necessary steps to protect their property and crops located on the Nile’s floodplain, even though such use is unauthorized and in violation of the law, the statement emphasized.

The ministry underlined the Egyptian state’s commitment to protecting citizens and mitigating the potential impacts of flooding.