Egypt sidelines linkage of Nile and River Congo for technicalities

Alaa Yassine, the Egyptian minister of Irrigation and Water Resources advisory for dam affairs has finally announced that the proposed project of linking the Nile with River Congo will finally not go ahead due to “technical reasons.” The project was proposed by Sarko Overseas, a private company owned by Ibrahim Al-Fayoumi, but Egypt decided not go forth with the project despite the company claiming that Egypt could benefit from an estimated 110 cubic meters of water more per year from the Congo River.

Egypt seems to be interested in the project but the failure of the private company to provide certain details requested by a committee of experts established by Egypt forced the North African country to sideline the proposal. Cairo wanted more information regarding hydraulic and technical matters.

A report submitted by the committee to the cabinet and the Egyptian presidency cited that “the way of water direction from the Congo River to a link or a stream that will be created has not been determined yet.” After their meeting with the company on 3 December, the committee has requested three other meetings but to no avail.

Sarko Overseas has not reacted to the announcement.

Egypt was also entangled in a dispute with Ethiopia when it started to build the Grand Renaissance Dam on the Nile.

Professor Gamal Al-Qalyoubi at the American University in Cairo said Egypt should concentrate on Grand Renaissance Dam than the proposed linkage of the Nile and River Congo. In a study he conducted in 2013, he concluded that almost 1,000 billion cubic meters of Congo River water is washed into the Atlantic annually.

President Sisi stated a couple of weeks ago that Egypt will not block Ethiopia’s development.