Professor of Geology and Water Resources at Cairo University, Abbas Sharaky, revealed the opening of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam’s (GERD) upper spillway gates.
According to Sharaky, satellite images show Ethiopia opening several gates of GERD’s upper spillway on Sunday morning, after the dam’s reservoir had filled to approximately 64 billion cubic meters, and before water passed through the upper middle spillway.
He indicated in a post on his official Facebook page that the current storage capacity is greater than last year’s, which stopped at 60 billion cubic meters on September 5, 2024.
He noted that the maximum discharge per gate is approximately 200 million cubic meters per day.
“The number of open gates will be confirmed in the coming days through satellite imagery, provided there are no clouds,” he added.
He said that below-average rainfall in the Blue Nile Basin during the first half of the current rainy season has delayed the opening of the upper spillway gates.
Sharaky added that “Rainfall is still below average, but according to IGAD Climate Prediction Center estimates, rainfall is expected to increase during the second half of the season.”
The geology professor noted that the current decline in rainfall will not affect Egypt’s share this year, as storage in Lake Nasser is reassuring.
