Completion of GERD’s 80 percent expected mobilize public

Completion of GERD’s 80 percent expected mobilize public

(Parliament News): May 26, 2021; Addis Ababa: The Natural Resources, Irrigation and Energy Affairs Standing Committee of the House of Peoples’ Representatives disclosed its expectation that the 80 percent completion of GERD could mobilize the general public.

The Committee disclosure came during the ninth-months performance assessment session of Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy along with institutions under its auspices, today. During then, W/ro Fetiya Yesuf; Chairperson of the Standing Committee appreciated the solutions that the Ministry undertook to solve the inherited challenges in building the dam.

In addition, the GERD’s 80 percent completion news and true reports about its progress can surely enhance the already active participation of Ethiopians in and out of the country, she said.

The unceasing engagements of the concerned bodies in the financial and public diplomacy sectors helped the dam construction prevail as per the plan, she expressed.

W/ro Fetiya pronounced, the Ministry and its responsible institutions shall strive to solve grievances related to compensation payments and shortage of structural steels used for the transmission of high electricity voltage. To do so, as to her, the Ministry shall work in collaboration with regional administrations and the people in-general.

Moreover, the electrification of rural areas and power saving mechanisms all over the places must get due attention as to the stressed message of the Chairperson. Likewise, irrigation activities shall also be encouraged in order to satisfy the subsistence need of the nation from the domestic production and to cut-off the wheat import; she said.

Dr Eng Silleshi Bekele, Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy of the FDRE on his part explained; 12 projects of which 4 are the existing ones and 8 are new, and all of them are engaged in the irrigation tasks of the country. He also disclosed, within the last three years, over 16 million people got access to clean drinking water.

by Asrat Addisu