The Ethiopians are building a massive dam, and Egypt is worried

[Zorro]

Since Ethiopia announced plans nearly a decade ago to build a massive hydroelectric dam along the Blue Nile tributary, the Egyptian government has waited in dread at the prospects that its freshwater lifeline could slow by as much as 25%.

Alternately threatening and negotiating, Egyptian officials have sought to scuttle or minimize the impact of the planned 6,450-megawatt facility. But the project has moved inexorably forward and construction, slowed by contracting corruption allegations, is nearly two-thirds complete.

With the dam now due to open next year, the specter of a military confrontation has waned and negotiators are instead debating how long the process of filling the dam should take — with Ethiopia planning to fill it in three years and Egypt asking for 15 years to better prepare for the future.

“We don’t have any other resource in Egypt except the Nile water,” warned professor Nader Nour el-Din, a soil and water expert at Cairo University. “This will harm Egypt.”

https://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-egypt-ethiopia-nile-dam-20190408-story.html

[tymorial]

1. This will force the UN to ratify an official agreement on the use of non navigational waters

There are at least three international agreements involving the use of shared waterways by nations; Helsinki, UN Watercourses and the more recent "Berlin Rules. " these basically outline that nation's cannot harvest shared water resources for their own uses to the detriment of other nations. Those agreements are not enforceable at this time though (to my knowledge) I am not sure the UN can sanction Ethiopia. However if negotiations fail, I doubt the UN will stand in Egypt s way if they exercise their right to military response in defense of their water.

This isnt new though, Ethiopia has been announcing their intent to build this damn for decades.

[Igel]

2. Will the SC have a veto over this?

Because China would, considering the dams it's building on the Mekong.

[BigmanPigman]

3. There should be strong, international laws in place now

since the use of land and water will become a big issue when Climate Change shifts into high gear.