Egypt and Ethiopia have both agreed on the significance of resuming discussions, joined by Sudan, over a dam that Ethiopia plans to build on the Nile River.

In a bilateral statement reported by Egypt’s state news agency, the two African countries said that their governments will follow up on the results of the latest meeting between their foreign ministers.

A committee grouping international and regional experts was formed following Ethiopia’s announcement to study the effects of the anticipated dam on geographic neighbors.

Being Egypt’s main source of water supply, panic and fear have spread in Egypt since Ethiopia announced its intention to erect a dam on the Nile River.

The Ethiopian and the Egyptian foreign ministers met on Monday to review the recommendations set by the expert committee and discuss how they are going to implement them.

Communities around Iten town have opposed the construction of a Sh15 sewerage system and setting aside land for a cemetery due because cultural beliefs associate such projects with bad omen.

Deputy Governor Gabriel Lagat has said the town faces a crisis caused by rapid population growth unless the communities allow the projects to take off.

Lagat said the county government was unable to secure land which can be purchased for the two projects because communities in the area have rejected them.

“We can’t get land for construction of sewage plant or a cemetery because it has become a nightmare because of a taboo for any member of the local community to live near a sewerage system or a cemetery,” said Lagat.

He said it has not been possible to convince families to sell land on which to set up the projects.

The communities recently blocked plans by the county to purchase a private piece of land at Nyawa area, about five kilometres from Iten town near the Keiyo escarpment because cultural beliefs.

“We had to suspend the purchase of the land which was meant to set up a sewage plant after the locals resisted the move citing bad omen,” he said.

“We will not develop the town and attract investors unless we allow the sewerage system to be put up,” he said. A colonial era cemetery in the town was filled up and closed more than six years ago.

Liberia, according to a new World Bank water and sanitation program report, is losing US$17.5 million annually to poor sanitation, due to several challenges including the destruction of the mount coffee water treatment facilities, looting of water distribution facilities coupled with the demand for urban migration that forced the establishment of large populated slum communities.

All of these factors bear pressure on the people and the environment, causing them to endure unbearable factors that demand urgent response from government.

Poor Sanitation is a mayor menace because of its related effects on the entire citizenry as captured in the report. The report says the sum is the equivalent of US$4.9 per person in Liberia per year or 2.0 percent of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while the costs of poor sanitation are inequitably distributed with the highest economic burden falling disproportionately on the poorest.

Titled “economic impacts on poor sanitation in Africa, water and sanitation program” “it provides an estimation of economic impacts on populations without access to improved sanitation in order to provide information on the losses to society of the current sanitation situation.”

Besides other circumstantial developments, report recognized that not all these economic impacts can be immediately recovered from improved sanitation practices, but provides a perspective on the economic gains that are available to countries through a range of policies to mitigate these impacts over the longer term.

“The underlying data sets to estimate economic impacts are weak; the study therefore uses objectively verified data sources and conservative numbers to estimate economic impacts. Several impacts have been excluded due to lack of data”.

“The total costs of poor sanitation are likely to be a significant underestimate, the economic burden of poor sanitation noted that it falls most heavily on the poorest. In costs quantified by the study, open defecation costs more per person than any other type of unimproved sanitation; the additional costs are mainly due to the time taken to find a safe, private location for defecation.”

“Costs associated with shared sanitation are likely to be higher than shown if time taken to reach and queue at a public latrine as well as user-fees were added. As it is not possible to estimate the proportion of public latrine users in the shared latrine category these costs are not included. Health costs cannot easily be assigned across latrine categories”.

The report regards sanitation or its lack as a public health issue, noting that people are affected by their neighbors and communities’ sanitation status as well as their own, and the costs of open defecation are felt throughout the community.

“Open defecation also has considerable social costs loss of dignity and privacy or risk of physical attack and sexual violence may not be easily valued in monetary units, but these issues are the reality when sanitation facilities are not available,” it is said.

“Open defecation costs more than fixed-point sanitation; the epidemic outbreak costs that fecal contamination of the environment is the root cause of an annual average of 2,800 cases of cholera affecting Liberia. The cost of the necessary WASH response is estimated to be US$1.8 million each year”.

Considering the economic implications of a cholera outbreak go beyond the immediate health system response, there are also costs related to productivity loss and premature death, diverting expenditures from other essential items and losses in trade and tourism revenue.

It is noted in the report that calculations for the cost of premature death do not take into account funeral costs, which are borne directly by households and can be significant across the country, and annual sanitation- related funeral costs (discounted against future funeral costs) are estimated at US$122,000″.

On water pollution, the report says the “adverse impact of unsafe excreta disposal on water resources is not included in the cost estimation as figures are not available for Africa. Where this affects drinking water supply, water supply and treatment costs for drinking and other domestic uses will add to the costs associated with poor sanitation”.

The costs of poor sanitation, indicated by the March 11, 2012 report “are inequitably distributed with the highest economic burden falling disproportionately on the poorest. The average cost associated with poor sanitation, constitutes a much greater proportion of a poor person’s income than that of a wealthier person”.

“Access to sanitation demonstrates inequities; the poorest 20% of the population are 6.6 times more likely to practice open defecation than the wealthiest 20% of the population.”

The Liberian government appropriated huge sum of money in the national budget to deal with the menace posed by poor sanitation, lack of access to the safe drinking water and many others, but there still a high mountain to climb.

Kiangkas and the residents of Fulladu Darsilami village in the Central River Region (CRR) will soon benefit from electricity and water supply, according to the president of the Republic, His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh.

The president was speaking at meetings held in Fulladu Darsilami and Kiang Kwinella on Days 5 and 6 respectively of his 2013 ‘Dialogue with the people tour’.

Fulladu Darsilami, a small village behind Brikama-ba in the CRR, has since the transition been a strong supporter of the APRC, while Kiang was previously an opposition stronghold.

The Gambian leader thanked the people of Kiang and Fulladu Darsilami for the warm welcome accorded to him and his entourage. He said: “By the grace of the Almighty Allah, we would start constructing your roads in 2014 and complete everything before 2015 and by the grace of the Almighty Allah you will also get electricity and pipe-borne water. The whole of Kiang would have electricity; already your water project is coming. Your entire request would be met. Whatever promise I made here today would be realised before the next election.” He also informed them about the new development package set aside for the youths of the country. He said this would also go with reciprocation, “What I mean by that is that, any youth group that is able to produce up to 1000 bags of either, “Findi”, coos, corn or groundnut would be given extra two million dalasi,” he explained.

He continued: “Three years from now rice would not be imported in this country. We are going to feed on our own produce and that is eating what you grow and grow what you eat because by 2016, nobody is going to import rice in this country. There is no reason why we cannot be food self-sufficient.”

The Gambian leader used the opportunity to warn against provincial nawettan. He said as from henceforth there would be no nawettan starting from Foni Bullock to Koina. He warned that the alkali, chief and any two teams found playing the tournament will be dealt with accordingly.

“It is not fair for your parents to be working on the farms paying your school fees from that proceeds and you choose to stay at home playing football; this will no more be accepted. I want the village “Kafoo” spirit to be revived. You hardly hear about young farmers club anywhere; that is why asthma and hypertension became so common among us. You will see young persons with diabetes, this is not normal and I want to make sure that before 2020 Gambia becomes a food exporter,” the president added.

Speaking earlier, the mayor of the Kanifing Municipality, who also doubles as the APRC National mobiliser, thanked the people of LRR for their turnout and for the APRC victories in the region in past elections.

The ministers of Health and Social Welfare, Finance and Economic Affairs, Basic and Secondary education and Fisheries and Water Resources respectively responded to some of the concerns raised by the locals.

First to outline his sector’s plans on some of the problems highlighted by locals was the Health and Social Welfare minister, Bala Garba Jahumpa. He said his ministry has already upgraded the Soma Major Health Centre and put in theater facilities covering most parts of LRR that would take care of women with complications. The health minister also announced the delivery of an ambulance to the health centre.

Abdou Kolley, the minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, who doubles as the APRC liaison officer for LRR, told the meeting that a feasibility study for construction of the feeder road linking Sankandi and Tankularr has already been done and they are working to mobilise funds to kick-start the project. “A similar survey has also been conducted on the road connecting Sankandi and Barrow-kunda. These projects will surely be implemented as soon as we mobilise funds for it,” the finance minister assured Kiangas.

The Basic and Secondary education minister, Fatou Lamin Faye informed the gathering that government is working to upgrade some lower basic schools in Kiang to upper basics which would eventually bring some new high schools.

“We would soon open a high school in Karantaba and Keneba. There would be no school fees at the upper basic level when schools open in 2014 and the same would be for high schooling after.”

For his part, the minister of Fisheries and Water Resources, Mass Axi Gye, assured the Kiangkas that their water need is already captured in the JICA project fund in which Kwinella is given utmost priority.

Locals’ account

The chief of Kiang Central, Alhaji Demba Sanyang, welcomed President Jammeh and entourage to his district and assured them of a peaceful meeting.

Chief Sanyang told the Gambian leader that Kiangkas have fulfilled their promise in registering victory in the immediate past elections. He further assured President Jammeh that the trend will continue and Kiang, especially west, will never be left behind.

While listing the numerous developments registered by the Jammeh administration, chief Sanyang used the opportunity to appeal on behalf of all Kiangkas for electricity and potable drinking water supply. He equally thanked President for providing them with rice and sugar amongst a host of other things. He added that as a way of reciprocating the president’s gesture, they have also donated three bulls and a ship to a leader they cherish so much.

The governor of the region, Alhaji Lamin Darboe, also welcomed President Jammeh to the LRR. He said the developments registered by the Jammeh government are visible everywhere, citing the trans-Gambia highway as one amongst many. “He has made significant achievement in the areas of health, education, agriculture and in the environment,” he said, referring to President Jammeh.

Also speaking at the meeting, Mahany Jallow, lady councilor, appealed on behalf of all Kiangkas, for pipe-borne water, electricity as well scholarship opportunity for boys. She also appealed for an ambulance and theatre facility at the Kiang Karantaba Health Centre, and a skills centre. Like Chief Sanyang, Lady Councilor Jallow further appealed to the president for an electricity and potable drinking water for the people of Kiang. “We have long been misled but have now realised what is best for us,” she said, while also appealing for more help from the Gambian leader.

Honourable Yaya Dibba, the National Assembly member for Kiang West, also spoke at the meeting.

“We were in the dark but have regretted that now,” said the Kiang West NAM, while also appealing for an ambulance to be at the Kiang Karantaba Health Centre. Rtd. Captain Ebrima Kambi and Alhaji Demba Manneh, APRC district chairman, both spoke at the meeting moderated by Njie Darboe, National Assembly member for Jarra Central, who also doubles as APRC desk officer for LRR.

Heaps of garbage are stockpiling in Gbarnga, Bong County’s capital city, with serious health implications for residents of the People street community.

From the Gbarnga central market to Frank Joe Community, equally dirty areas; Far East Community to Lelekpayea; and from Barworlor quarter along the Millionaire quarter road, wastes are dumped anywhere in sight.

The worst garbage shame of Gbarnga city, which reports say used to be county’s cleanest areas in the 1980s up to the mid-1990s, is People street, which is now a ‘garbage area’.

This was acknowledged by Anthony Sheriff, Bong County’s Assistant Superintendent for Development, in an interview with FrontPageAfrica Monday. He agreed that the many street side in the city generate huge garbage daily.

He said the leadership of the county would embark on enlightenment campaign, to ask residents to use refuse bins to dispose their wastes.

“We have noticed residents of these communities dump their waste anywhere available and this is resulting to the stockpile of garbage we are experiencing today,” Sheriff said.

But many residents who spoke with FrontPageAfrica Monday decried the efforts of the Gbarnga City Cooperation, which is in charge of evacuating refuse in Gbarnga; saying the cooperation is ill equipped to undertake waste disposal.

“The Gbarnga City Cooperation has not done well since its inception. Our community is been stigmatized due to a huge stockpile of garbage with no interest shown by them to remove the garbage,” one furious resident of People Street told FrontPageAfrica.

They called for a competent private corporation to be contracted the waste deposit business.

Employees of Kikuyu Water Sewerage Company were heckled by an angry crowd at Kiambaa village.

The 35 employees had gone to check on a customer’s water connection when they were confronted by a crowd of 300 armed with machetes.

On Wednesday, a company employee, Jason Kariuki, had been attacked after he was found engaging in bestiality. The villager protested against the move by managing director Lucas Wahinya to disconnect David Munene, the owner of the victim cow’s, water saying he has Sh5,700 arrears.

The workers took refuge at the chief’s camp Offices tried to disperse the crowd, some of whom had started stoning the water company employees

The workers, however, got away. Wahinya said Kariuki, who takes metre readings at the village, was framed by Munene to avoid avoid paying his water bill.

“Kariuki was not caught in the act of bestiality as purported by Munene and the villagers who almost beat him to death on Wednesday,” he said.

Wahinya said they will sue Munene for defamation after investigations are complete.

“The man and his brother have been stealing water and we had come to disconnect their supply. We shall demand him to pay us for defamation because it was wrong to risk the life of an innocent man,” he said. Kariuki was released on a Sh10, 000 bond.

Water supply in all of the major urban areas of Nasarawa State has stabilized and remained so for over a year now, except Keffi where erratic power supply has dwindled in the past three weeks, Acting Manager of the State Water Board, Engr. Simon Ibi said yesterday. He told Daily Trust that the provision of water production imputes including chemicals and diesel to run the alternative power plants has been regular in the past one year.

This development according to him accounted for what he called “steady water supply in all of the urban centres of the state in the past one year and more.”

Engr. Ibi named the areas with regular and steady water supply as Lafia, the state capital, Nasarawa-Eggon, Doma, and Keana.

“During this period, we have had no major complaints coming from these urban centres because water supply is steady and has remained so for over one year now. If it means rolling out drums to beat in celebration of this feat, we can do so. The governor (Umaru Tanko Al-Makura) has remained steadfast in ensuring that water doesn’t dry from the taps as used to be the case in the past several years in the state”, Engr. Ibi added.

He however lamented that supply has had to dwindle in Keffi in the past three weeks, now dragging to a month, due to low power supply by the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

According to him, “in the past three weeks, we have been having a serious problem in Keffi and Akwanga because of low voltage from the power company. The supply is so low that production and supply of water is hampered. But we thank God, power supply improved the other day, and we were able to treat and supply to Keffi and Akwanga.

“We are muting the idea of having a power voltage transformer at the water treatment plant to address this problem of low voltage. Our proposal is receiving serious attention. We are hopeful that the dwindling water supply will become history soon because the Governor is keen on seeing Keffi enjoy the same uninterrupted supply like the rest of the state”, Engr. Ibi added.

Huge pile of garbage at the Redlight Commercial District and Another huge pile of garbage along the Somalia Drive in Gardnersville (close to Chicken Soup Factory Junction)

Monrovia is once again turning into a city of garbage as huge pile of garbage inundates street corners and communities, thus causing serious health problems.

While central Monrovia is not unique in this situation, various suburbs have become leading epicenters of mounting and stinging garbage.

Paynesville, Gardnersville and Duala are awash with pile of garbage and there seems little efforts to depose of the garbage.

The stockpile of garbage, a serious menace has claimed the attention of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Reporters & Editors Network of Liberia (WASH R&E), supported by WaterAid in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The huge pile of garbage is not only creating health hazards but also putting impediments in the movement of vehicles, marketers and pedestrians, owing to the fact that Redlight is now Liberia’s biggest commercial district.

Redlight also lies at the heart of Monrovia’s leading routes, connecting several counties that boarder Guinea and the Ivory Coast.

The huge pile of dirt has claimed the attention of marketers, buyers, commuters and residents who have accordingly complained of the constant failure of the Paynesville City Corporation (PCC) and some garbage collection entities to properly handle the situation.

Field visits to Somalia Drive up to the St. Francis Junction at Black Jinnah, Pipeline Road and the Gobachop Junctions showed unsavory garbage heap that has even overstayed for months.

Reporters said the heap of garbage is blocking the main entrance to a nearby community and at including the road leading to Kakata.

A female marketer, identified only as Miss Joseph, told WASH R&E reporters that the situation has caused several marketers serious health problems.

According to her, the garbage which has engulfed the entire market areas in Red Light is posing serious health hazard.

Several days ago over fourteen marketers who are selling right near the PCC’s “Buy Your Dirt” Site got sick and were taken to the Providence and William Booth Health Centers for treatment.

Also a male marketer only identified as David who sells scratch cards added: “the huge stock pile of garbage is causing us a big embarrassment because it has been here for too long now”.

He reported that several marketers were getting sick from the mountains of garbage spread out in Red Light and blamed PCC for not monitoring the Site and take appropriate action.

During a visit to the William Booth Health Center on the Pipeline Road in Paynesville intended to confirm claims of sickness made by marketers, the Officer-In-Charge, Korpu Geh disclosed that most of the patients treated at the center are marketers, including their children and residents around the Red Light Commercial District.

“Look the stock pile of garbage which is considered as poor sanitary condition can cause people to get various sicknesses and that just what the marketers and residents of Red Light are faced with, Madam Geh pointed out”.

It was gathered a month that the Paynesville City Corporation launched a project co-named “Buy Your Dirt” in the densely populated Redlight Commercial District with the aim of disposing of garbage to give the city a conducive sanitary condition.

But the Superintendent of the Coal Field on the Pipeline Road in Paynesville, Kortu K. Rogers noted, “I don’t know about the project neither those marketers under my control”.

At PCC’s “Buy Your Dirt” Site, the Corporation’s Sanitation Inspector Sekou Sheriff admitted that the collection of garbage from the Redlight Commercial District in Paynesville described the delay and the over stay of garbage as a threat to a healthy environment.

Besides, the Paynesville City Corporation, two sanitation companies, Zoom Lion a Ghanaian based and N.C. Sanitor are responsible for garbage collection at the Red Light Commercial District and other areas in Paynesville.

The “Buy Your Dirt Project” was designed to reduce the huge pile of garbage in Paynesville, especially Redlight Commercial District by purchasing a bag of dirt for fifteen Liberian dollars, but the project has failed to live up to its objective.

For the Township of Gardnersville situated along the Somalia Drive, the story is almost the same with that of the Redlight Commercial District in Paynesville.

Though the various communities in Gardnersville equally suffer from huge pile of garbage leading to poor sanitary conditions, the residents and business entities like other areas prefer disposing garbage on the main street leading from Redlight to the Freeport of Monrovia.

The entire Somalia Drive route is barricaded with huge garbage at every major junction including, 72nd, Neezoe, Lonestar, Zota, St. Francis, Black Gina, Amegarshie, Steven Tolbert Estate, Chicken Soup Factory, LPRC, Barnesville Estate, Gardnerville Supermarket, and the New Georgia Estate, among other intersections leading to Liberia’s biggest seaport “Freeport of Monrovia.

Residents in these areas always complain about unhealthy environmental conditions like unfavorable odor, flies, and mosquitoes and dirty water in their respective communities.

Robust Media reports on the issue of poor sanitation in Monrovia and its environs by the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Reporters & Editors Network of Liberia (WASH R&E) have claimed the attention of the Liberian Senate.

WASH R&E is presently engaged in series of media activities on the filthiness of Monrovia and surrounding communities, as huge pile of garbage can be seen everywhere. The media activities with exclusive focus on sanitation have now become a topical issue on local radio & TV stations and in the local dallies.

The on-going WASH Media Focus on Sanitation is considered a national issue and has claimed the attention of Senators at the Liberian Legislature. Members of the Senate view the present condition of the Capital city of Liberia not up to standard as expected and are calling for immediate actions to prevent further garbage spread throughout the city.

The Senate, in its plenary Thursday, June 13, 2013, mandated its Committee on Internal Affairs to have Acting Monrovia City Mayor Cllr. Henry Reed-Cooper and Acting Paynesville City Mayor Cyvette Gibson summoned.

Both Mayors are expected to give reasons why both major cities are being swallowed by mountains of garbage stockpiles.

Observers believe that Monrovia began to look filthy following the resignation of former Acting Monrovia City Mayor, Mary T. Broh who was hugely financially supported by national government and some international partners to keep Monrovia clean and green.

Madam Broh was then replaced with former Chief Justice, Cllr. Henry Reed-Cooper who is currently heading the Management Team of the City of Monrovia, but according to the Senators, effort by the current team is not as effective as compared to the former City Mayor.

The issue was first raised by Senator Thomas Grupee of Nimba county that most parts of the city is currently in filthy conditions, based on continuous reports and his own assessments. Senator Grupee stressed he has noticed that the filthiness of the city is going beyond bounds. He informed his law-making colleagues that since the departure of former Mayor Broh from the Monrovia City Corporation, the city’s sanitary condition has continued to deteriorate on a daily basis.

Another Senator, Isaac Nyenabo of Grand Gedeh county wondered whether the former Acting City Mayor was working because she loves her country or because there was money available to carry out such function. Senator Nyenabo extolled his colleague for raising such grave issue which affects every resident of Monrovia.

For Senator Frederick Cherue of River Gee county, he said the appearance of the Acting Monrovia City Mayor will determine the problem to allow the National Legislature to complement efforts to keep Monrovia clean always.

In concurrence with his colleagues, Bong County Senator Henry Yallah suggested that the Paynesville City Mayor be added to the list, arguing that she, too be summoned “because Red Light Commercial District in Paynesville is almost covered with dirt at the moment.”

Acting Paynesville City Mayor Gibson was appointed by President Sirleaf in November, 2012, succeeding Madam Letitia A. Reeves. Thursday Session was presided over by Senate Pro-Temprore Gbehzohngar Finley who also welcomed the decision of Plenary to invite the two Acting City Mayors of Monrovia and Paynesville to face the Senate’s Internal Affairs Committee to provide convincing reasons why their respective cities are not being kept cleaned, despite huge support from government and development partners.

The Senate’s Committee on Internal Affairs is expected to investigate the matter and report to Plenary within the next one week.

Sudanese Ambassador to Cairo Kamal Hassan Aly said on Saturday that the spirit of cooperation between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia may lead to an end to the crisis over a dam that Ethiopia plans to build on the Nile River.

Aly told a satellite channel on Saturday that Sudan and Egypt are working together to come up with a strategy to deal with the issue, with the help of reports prepared by the committee of experts.

He insisted that the old ties between the three African countries may play a powerful role in solving the problem, reported the Middle East News Agency.

Aly accused the media in Egypt of blowing the issue out of proportion and influencing public opinion in Khartoum.

Lilongwe — Lilongwe Water Board is alarmed by increasing levels of water pollution in the district’s rivers every year, a situation which has justified the installation of a compulsory raw water conveyance system of Lilongwe River to the treatment plants.

LWB Project Manager Alfonso Chikuni said in an interview with Malawi News Agency that environmental degradation along Lilongwe and Likuni rivers has resulted in increased water pollution due to excessive runoff during the rainy season.

He said this is caused by development activities such as mushrooming of a produce market close to the controlled buffer zone along Lilongwe River, sand mining and cultivation.

“Areas such as Chigwirizano, Chinsapo and Likuni have several developments that are also affecting the raw water quality in Lilongwe River. Regrettably these areas are located upstream of Lilongwe Water Board intake points.

Most of the developments rarely consider proper sanitation issues including waste management resulting into very high raw water turbidities and microbial content making water treatment process expensive,” said Chikuni.

According to Chikuni, water supply system for Lilongwe Water Board has two earth dams on Lilongwe River namely Kamuzu Dams I and II upstream of the intake points of the treatment plants that compound raw water. Water flows naturally between Kamuzu Dam I and II for 15 kilometers from Likuni River to Kamuzu Dam I and 20 kilometers to Kamuzu Dam II exposing the water supply to possible pollution.

“We are working on a Preliminary Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and resettlement plans which will outline negative and positive impacts and also mitigation measures of the negative impacts during construction, operation and decommissioning phases,” said Chikuni.

Chikuni said that after the €135,115 (K57 423 875) project which is funded by International Development Association (IDA) through the Ministry of Water Development and Irrigation, consumers will be supplied with clean water at an affordable price.

The cost of water treatment will also be reduced which will help the water body to invest money in other important activities.

In a related development, the districts Environmental office confirmed that environmental degradation is on rise in the district.

The office said waste management and charcoal burning are among other factors that are fueling environmental degradation in the district.

The office has since put in place mechanisms in conjunction with other stake holders to sensitise people on environmental conversation.

The row between Egypt and Ethiopia over water from the River Nile goes back many years. Now it is escalating as Ethiopia forges ahead with the construction of a huge dam. But there is more to the dispute than just water.

For decades Egypt and Ethiopia have been at loggerheads over the question of water rights and the River Nile. Ousted President Mubarak made it plain that any attempt by Ethiopia to restrict Egyptian access to the Nile would leave his country with no alternative to “confrontation, in order to defend our rights and our lives.”

Mubarak’s successor Mohammed Morsi is no less emphatic. “We do not want a war, but we are keeping all options open,” he said.

The response from the late Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi was succinct. “If Egypt wants to prevent Ethiopia from using water from the Nile, then it must occupy our territory – and that’s something no country in the world has ever done.”

Ethiopian Prime Minister Desalegn says dam construction will go ahead

His successor Hailemariam Desalegn added recently that “nothing and no one” would stop construction of the dam.

Prestige project

At the center of the dispute is “The Grand Renaissance Dam” project, currently under construction on Ethiopia’s upper stretch of the Blue Nile, close to the border with Sudan. The dam is a source of anger to Egypt which fears the amount of water flowing into its territory will be reduced. By virtue of its sheer size and capacity, the Great Renaissance Dam dwarfs all previous dam and irrigation projects. Construction costs are put at $4.2 billion (3.2 billion euros).

When it is completed, the turbines will generate 6,000 megawatts of electricity, making Ethiopia the biggest energy-producer on the African continent. The project is as important for the government in Addis Ababa as the Three Gorges Dam is for China. It is a highly political prestige project, partly financed by deductions to the salaries of state employees.

The government insists that the gigantic dam can be built without financial aid from abroad. However it has accepted credit from China of more than a billion US dollars for power cables.

Bumper harvests in Egypt, starvation in Ethiopia

The dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia goes back to two agreements from 1929 and 1959. Colonial power Great Britain accorded the water of the Nile in its entirety to Egypt and Sudan for agricultural use. In addition, Egypt was given the right to veto any upriver construction projects.

This left Ethiopia literally high and dry. The source of the Blue Nile is located in Ethiopia but it flows mainly through the highlands and can only irrigate fields to a limited degree. Lower down, the combined water masses of the White and Blue Nile flow through Egypt, irrigating fields and ensuring good harvests, while in Ethiopia millions of people are starving.

One fifth of the Renaissance Dam is now complete. In May 2013 alarm bells began ringing in Cairo when the Ethiopians began to divert the Nile into a new course, so that the dam walls could be built. However, a ten-member committee of experts had previously come to the conclusion that Egypt need not fear any longterm consequences for its water supplies.

Will there be a water war?

Despite the experts’ assurances that there is nothing to fear, the row is escalating. On Egyptian TV politicans were recently seen discussing radical measures such as blowing up the dam or supporting Ethiopian rebel groups. Later they claimed they had not known the cameras were on.

For neutral observers, the feeling is growing that the dispute is not so much about the Nile as about the problems of both leaders, Morsi and Desalegn. Both are unpopular in their respective countries, particularly among the young.

Most Egyptians are not willing to give up a drop of water from the Nile

Both seem to be trying to score points with nationalistic speeches and verbal sabre-rattling. Experts see no real risk of the two going to war.

But if that were to happen, the Egyptian military would face a highly disciplined Ethiopian army. There would also be logistical problems, not least the fact that the two countries do not share a border. “Threats from Cairo to sabotage the dams have aways turned out to be bluffs in the past,” says conflict researcher Ashok Swain from Uppsala University in Sweden.

Ethiopia ‘not intimidated’

An offer to mediate by the African Union was brusquely rejected by Ethiopia. The Egyptian foreign minister is now expected in Addis Ababa in the next few days. Ahead of his visit, a spokesman for the Ethiopian government said that Ethiopia was “not intimidated by Egypt’s psychological warfare” and would not delay dam construction “by one second.”

To underline this further, on Thursday (13.06.2013) the Ethiopian parliament unanimously passed the Entebbe Agreement of 2010 which is intended to replace the disputed agreements from the colonial era. And Ethiopia is not alone. Other Nile states, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya and Burundi, have ratified the new agreement. The Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan have indicated their intention to follow suit. Eritrea has observer status. All in all, the prospects for Egypt do not look good.

There is a practical solution which was first made some time ago. Egypt could make more efficient use of the water from the River Nile. At the moment the water flows through ancient irrigation systems. If Ethiopia’s dam were to cause any reduction in the amount of water, the Egyptians could compensate for this by modernizing their equipment. But such a proposal would probably not be well received by the Egyptian electorate.

Could you have imagined years ago that one could actually live in town and not have running water? Would it have seemed possible that a big suburban house could function without tap water, not just

for a day, mind you, but for years on end?

Growing up in Highfield many years ago, water was one of those commodities that was available everywhere. In fact, just like electricity, running water was one of those indicators of being in town or shall I call it the city.

The city was one place associated with treated, gushing water from the tap and bright lights.

I am taken back to those times after watching soccer and netball matches at Mhizha Primary School when we would queue by the water tap to have a drink of water, straight from the tap.

We could never have imagined that there would come a time when schools, primary schools, at that, would have to make do without water?

Such a situation was unimaginable.

But today it has become a reality. If schools do not invest in boreholes, they will have no water and just imagine what those toilets the schoolchildren use will be like. These days it has become normal to see people drive around with water containers at the back of their vehicles? It has become normal too to see little children moving around alongside their mothers, who will be carrying babies on the back, carrying buckets of water from one point to the next. Clean, running water has become a luxury in this city and beyond.

There are many cities and towns in Zimbabwe that today no longer expect water out of their taps and true to their expectation, it does not come out. We were laughing with some friends of mine who live in Greendale about how their water taps are now just for show. One of them, who does not have a borehole, said her bathroom is filled with buckets that are also filled with water, which the family uses for bathing and laundry.

Her taps, she said, were actually rusty. She has not had water at her house for the past four to five years.

Her cousin from Mandara, who was with us on that occasion, said she had to get a water pump and connect it to the taps so that they could have running water.

Water there comes erratically, at times at midnight once every three weeks or a month.

She complained about the money she was spending buying water every week just so her toilets could flush, her children could have a real bath and her staff could have running water to do dishes and every other chore in the house. It is that bad.

I do not know about you but the last time I checked; water was an essential commodity.

A human being who goes without water will obviously wilt and die. There is nothing else to it.

In fact, experts will also tell you that the body is made up of water more than anything else. It is for that reason that water, is placed alongside food, shelter and love when it comes to the essentials that a human being needs in life. Let us just think; is there anything that we do that does not require water?

For us to eat, we need water. Those who do not cook may not appreciate it but for our families to eat healthy, a lot of water is used to clean and prepare the meals we dish out to our families. Ever since the cholera epidemic led to the deaths of many in this country, we can never underestimate the importance of practicing good hygiene. These days we tell our children to wash their hands each time they visit the toilet and before meals. But if some schools do not have running water, do we truly think the children, especially those in primary schools, will bother?

By their very nature children cannot be bothered with quite a lot of things so if we are not going to ensure that the water is available, then we cannot blame them for just foregoing the all-important washing of hands.

But shall we watch while the nation burns? I hear areas like Highfield, Glen View, Glen Norah, and many others have been experiencing serious water shortages recently. In fact, some have gone for several days without water. From what I know most of these households in high-density areas are home to several families, including the tenants who stay at the same property with their landlords.

These people in most cases share one toilet and bathroom and just the thought of how they are supposed to live without water for a day, let alone several days, is beyond me.

How someone should live without water at all, as was happening in Bulawayo all this while, until we saw initiatives such as the Big Flush, where residents could only flush at an allocated time, is totally beyond me. Yes, city fathers in Harare and Bulawayo have explained their issues, which range from a shortage of treatment chemicals to obsolete equipment and systems, but explaining is not going to cut it as long as there is no water coming out of people’s taps.

Explaining does not mean anything to the grandmother in Glen View who has to drink water from a shallow well whose safety is very much in doubt because there is no other choice left to her.

Explaining does not mean anything to a people who now have to dig wells everywhere as if we are in the rural areas.

Explaining does not mean anything to a people who have to buy water when water is God-given. Explaining does not mean anything when diarrhoeal diseases have become the leading killer in the country.

Water is a basic requirement. There are things that people can do without, such as driving a big flashy car, wearing a label or even spotting the most expensive hairstyle but truth be told, one cannot do without water. You can come from any part of the world but as long as you are human, you need water.

Hence we need some seriousness when it comes to the water situation in this country. Water is life. Let us ensure it is available. And this is as serious as it gets.

btonhodzayi@gmail.com

The construction of Ethiopia’s dam on the Blue Nile River will benefit current and future generations of Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia, Pagan Amum, Chief Negotiator of South Sudan, has said.

The construction of the dam in Ethiopia would not affect adversely the interest of the other countries like Egypt or Sudan, said the official.

Amum told reporters on Thursday in Addis Ababa that South Sudan has followed with concern the development and statement from Egypt in relation to the construction of the dam in Ethiopia.

He said that countries in the Nile basin should cooperate on the management of the Nile waters to benefit their current and future generations, according to xinhua.

“Ethiopia has the right to use the Nile waters in terms of generation of electricity, in terms of irrigation, and the way we see this development is that it is not affecting the interest of Sudan or Egypt,” Amum said.

“We call on the government of Egypt and the government of Ethiopia to engage and cooperate in all the developments that are going to be to the benefit all the people,” he added.

Stating that South Sudan is a new state and member of the Nile Basin Countries, Amum said his country would work with governments and states in the Nile basin to reach agreement on the use and sustainable management of the Nile waters for the benefit of the people in the Nile basin.

President Yoweri Museveni has sternly warned the Egyptian “government and other groups” against making “chauvinist and irrational statements” in the wake of Ethiopia’s decision to construct a multi-billion dollar electricity dam, Chimp Corps report.

“I have seen in the print media statements coming out of Egypt regarding the commendable work of the Government of Ethiopia of building dams for electricity in that country,” said Museveni.

“This is what the whole of Africa needs to do. That is one reason the economy of Ethiopia has been growing in double digits. It is, therefore, advisable that the new Government of Egypt and some chauvinistic groups inside Egypt should not repeat the mistakes of the past Egyptian Governments,” he added.

Museveni said leaders of Egypt should not be victims of the “misguided policies of past leaders.”

He further stressed that threat of the Nile is not the construction of dams but the “lack of electricity and underdevelopment in the tropics.”

“The biggest threat to the Nile is continued under-development in the tropics i.e. lack of electricity and lack of industrialization. On account of these two, peasants cut the bio-mass for fuel (firewood – enku) and invade the forests to expand primitive agriculture.

Here in Uganda, the peasants destroy 40 billion cubic metres of wood per annum for firewood. They also invade the wetlands (ebisaalu, ebitoogo, entobazi, ebifuunjo, ebisharara) to grow rice,” he noted.

“This interferes with the transpiration that is crucial for rain formation. Our experts have told me that 40 percent of our rain comes from local moisture – meaning from our lakes and wetlands,” said Museveni, adding, “That is why, for instance, West Nile and West Acholi have got more rain than Karamoja being on the same latitude notwithstanding. It is, apparently, on account of the huge wetlands in South Sudan, the forest in Congo and the wetlands in Uganda.”

Ironically, said Museveni, the Egyptians wanted to drain the wetlands in South Sudan through the Jonglei canal.

“It was one of the causes for the people of South Sudan to wage war against Khartoum, which was collaborating with the Egyptian Government’s misguided and dangerous policies of that time,” he added.

Therefore, said Museveni, the threat to the Nile is lack of electricity in the tropics and lack of industrialization thereof.

“Electrification so that people stop using wood fuel and industrialization so that people shift from agriculture to industry and services is the correct way.”

Museveni also pointed to unknown diplomatic efforts aimed at persuading Egypt not to pursue the path of war.

“I have given these views to the past Egyptian Governments and to the present one. Therefore, it is advisable that those chauvinistic statements coming out of Egypt are restrained and through the Nile Valley Organization rational (not emotional and informed statements) discussions take place.”

“No African wants to hurt Egypt; however, Egypt cannot continue to hurt black Africa and the countries of the tropics of Africa,” he concluded his speech.

Ethiopia boasts one of the most advanced and deadliest armies on the continent.

The battle-hardened army derives its unwavering determination to protect its strategic interests right from the late 1980s when it resisted the wave of colonialism that swept Africa.

Responding to Morsi’s threats recently, Ethiopia’s premier, Hailemariam Desalegn, the construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam would was “unstoppable.”

“All options include a war. I don’t think they will take that option unless they go mad,” warned Hailemariam, adding, “I urge them to abandon such an unhelpful approach and return to dialogue and discussion.”

The House of People’s Representative unanimously ratified the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) today (June 13th ) in an ordinary session.

The ratification of the Cooperative Framework Agreement is an important step towards the realization of equitable utilization of the Nile Waters.

Ethiopia is the first country to ratify the agreement. Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Tanzania and Rwanda are also signatories to the Framework Agreement but have yet to ratify it.

The Agreement envisages that the Nile Commission will be established upon ratification by the legislatures of at least six riparian countries.

The Nile Commission is mandated to monitor the equitable utilization and development of the Nile Waters, and enforce the proper application of the rights and duties of the signatory countries.

The Cooperative Framework Agreement is the first multilateral treaty successfully negotiated under the auspices of the Nile Basin Initiative.

Through his nonprofit organization, actor Matt Damon hopes to bring the dignity of a toilet to all.

As part of Water.org’s “Strike With Me” campaign, actor Matt Damon poses with a toilet seat to raise awareness of the 2.5 billion people who lack access to safe water and sanitation. Damon founded Water.org with Gary White by merging his earlier H20 Africa project with White’s WaterPartners International in July 2009.

A nonprofit organization, Water.org seeks to provide developing communities in Africa, Central America and South Asia with access to safe water and sanitation. In Kenya, Water.org programs have outfitted rural and urban areas with sanitation products such as rainwater harvesting tanks, shallow wells and biogas toilets. In Bangladesh, Water.org offers grants and microfinance tools called WaterCredits to increase citizens’ access to safe water. And in Haiti, Water.org is working to bring clean water and sanitation to 50,000 Haitians by the end of 2013.

In addition to his work with Water.org, Damon is a founding member of Not On Our Watch, an organization dedicated to bringing attention and resources to the world’s mass atrocities, as well as an active participant in the ONE Campaign, which works to combat AIDS and extreme poverty.