Egypt, South Sudan agree to build dam

Egypt and South Sudan are contemplating the construction of a multipurpose Dam in South Sudan, Arab News reports.

To this end, the two countries signed a cooperation protocol that provides for conducting the feasibility studies of the dam to be located on the Siwi River, one of the main branches of the Jur River in the Bahr Al-Ghazal Basin, 9 km south of the city of Wau in southern Sudan.

The agreement signed by ministries of water resources and irrigation, the Saudi media notes, signed a cooperation protocol that includes a project to prepare feasibility studies of the dam to be located on the Siwi River, one of the main branches of the Jur River in the Bahr Al-Ghazal Basin, 9 km south of the city of Wau in southern Sudan.

The future dam, aside of electricity production, will solve drinking water problems and protect people from the dangers of floods, according to the Egyptian side.

The agreement comes amid tension between Egypt and Ethiopia over Addis Ababa’s Renaissance Dam project that Egypt fear will affect negatively its water provision from the Nile, the main source for its water consumption and agriculture.

Egypt has sought international intervention to defuse the crisis but various talks have failed.