Introduction

Abstract

The Nile Basin is one of the largest basins in the world shared by eleven countries. The principal tributaries of the Nile River are the White Nile , flowing from the Great Lakes region of Central Africa and the Blue Nile (Abay ), Sobat (Baro-Akobo ) and the Atbara (Tekeze ), flowing from the highlands of Ethiopia . Ethiopia contributes close to 85% of the Nile river flow. The Nile basin is entering into a new era of challenges and opportunities primarily driven by population explosion, food and water shortage, increase in water demand and water use, climate change , and complicated water right issues. More importantly, upstream countries started to assert their right to develop the Nile water resources challenging the long-held water right hegemony of Egypt and Sudan . Ethiopia unilaterally launched the construction of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) . The sheer size and storage capacity of GERD has initiated dialogue and diplomacy towards understanding of the current reality in the basin as well as the absolute need of co-operative water resource development. This chapter provides an overview to the Nile basin along with the social, economic, environmental and political implication of GERD . The book mainly focuses on the Blue Nile basin, the GERD design, filling and operation in association with the larger Nile basin.