Egypt could lose as much as 72 percent of its farmland when the latest phase of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is completed, according to a new study cited in the London-based Al Quds al-Arabi. The study, conducted by NASA, the University of Southern California and Cornell University, finds that while the dam offers development opportunities for Ethiopia, the changing flow of the Nile River will lead to significant water deficits in Egypt.
Egyptian scientist Essam Heggy, who worked on the study, said that if the deficits created by the completion of the second phase of the dam's construction are not addressed with a joint agreement for water storage, he expects Egypt to lose up to 72 percent of its arable land.
The loss of water - which he estimated could be as much as 40 percent of Egypt's current water share - could see unemployment rates rise to 25 percent and the gross domestic product drop by as much as 8 percent.