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So have they closed the outlets or is the dam still filling because of seasonal water overflow?
the diversion outlets are still in operation ... because water has to continue to flow downstream ... and the water is not at the (newly completed) bottom outlets level yet... and obviously not yet overflowing the 560m level of the provisional spillway

and so, as the Minster said, since the capacity of the outlets is much less than July inflows... water will continue to back up...and, as a consequence, continue to fill the reservoir upto 560m....here's what it will look like then...
305140
 
This is good but what about evaporation? How much of this water will still be around during the next filling season?
evaporation losses aren't that significant in western Ethiopia...moreover the surface area of impounded water after this filling is much less than at full supply level

how much water will remain by next season is mainly driven by controlled releases (or non-releases) through the bottom outlets...and early power generation
 
Sudan says Nile water levels fall after Ethiopia starts giant dam.
 
yeah i dont quite understand how the water levels fall is we have not blocked the passage. Perhaps they are comparing it to historical data which would be accurate since there is a seasonal increase in water flow that is currently held back

@rasta55 do you have a picture of the bottom out lets? is this how they plan to fill until water reaches bottom outlet.?
 
So have they closed the outlets or is the dam still filling because of seasonal water overflow?
Sileshi posted the following roughly at the time of your question on Twitter:
Seleshi said:
The GERD construction has reached level 560m compared to level 525m last year this time. The inflow into the reservoir due to heavy rain fall and runoff exceeded the outflow and created natural pooling.This continues until overflow is triggered soon. The dam is yet to be constructed to level 640m in the following years. In fact, predicted heavy rain this year is expected to cause huge flooding in the region.
I understand that the bottom outlets are still open but that that will not prevent overflowing of the dam at 560 m soon due to HUGE floods...

I also got the impression that Sileshi wants to keep the bottom outlets open to manage the floods somewhat and to allow a better flood control...

Consider the dam overflowing - with HUGE flooding that might be a spectacular waterfall but might also be dangerous for the dam ...
 
@rasta55 do you have a picture of the bottom out lets? is this how they plan to fill until water reaches bottom outlet.?
the figure below shows locations of diversion & bottom outlets....(despite the name the bottom outlets aren't actually at the bottom)...
305948


I understand that the bottom outlets are still open ...
the water is rising, but its surface level is not yet at the bottom outlets ... downstream releases are still through the diversion outlets (see image above)...
 
the water is rising, but its surface level is not yet at the bottom outlets ... downstream releases are still through the diversion outlets (see image above)...
OK, thanks for the clarification.

Are the bottom outlets at 542 m ready for operation - and will they operate?

If the diversion outlets will be closed will they be closed by concrete? And how will they do it now that the water is rising?
 
Are the bottom outlets at 542 m ready for operation - and will they operate?
If the diversion outlets will be closed will they be closed by concrete? And how will they do it now that the water is rising?
My understanding is the bottom outlets and the diversion outlets all have sluice gates that can be controlled? Am I correct Rasta?
I'm pretty sure they have operable gates on the bottom oulets...I imagine they have some control on the diversion outlets as well in the form of slide blocks, but I could be wrong
 
The bottom outlets are not ready yet on the direction of the power houses. But, they already put a gate on them, so there is no leak of water when they are doing the finishing works. The water will overflow on top of the concrete at 560m after the 4.9 billion m3 of water is stored. That is their engineering plan!
I'm pretty sure they have operable gates on the bottom oulets...I imagine they have some control on the diversion outlets as well in the form of slide blocks, but I could be wrong
 
Different people in the Ethiopian government are saying different things, but Sudan has officially confirmed the river is filling up.

Sudan says River Nile water levels have dropped as a reservoir behind Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance dam has filled up, hitting out at "any unilateral actions taken by any party".

Egypt has also demanded "quick official clarification" from Ethiopia.

Both Sudan and Egypt are downstream, and fear the large dam will greatly reduce their access to water.

Ethiopia sees the hydroelectric project as crucial for its economic growth and improving electricity supplies.

"If Ethiopia doesn't fill the dam, it means Ethiopia has agreed to demolish the dam," Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed told parliament earlier this month.

But state media have backtracked after reports on Wednesday that suggested the dam was being filled deliberately, though without making it clear whether the dam's gates had been closed.

Earlier this week, talks between the three nations over the $4bn (£3.2bn) Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd) ended without agreement, Ethiopian officials said, blaming "unchanged and additional and excessive demands of Egypt."

Dialogue and a fair solution were needed, Sudan's Information Minister Faisal Saleh was quoted as saying on Monday by Reuters.

Sudan said water levels are dropping by 90 million cubic metres (mcm) per day - equivalent to about 36,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools - at the al-Deim water station which borders Ethiopia.

Years of fraught negotiations have failed to reach a consensus on how and when to fill the reservoir, and how much water it should release.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has previously warned that filling and operating the dam without an agreement "that protects the downstream communities… would heighten tensions and could provoke crises and conflicts that further destabilise an already troubled region".

A conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia, which are both US allies, would put millions of civilians at risk.

What did Ethiopia say?
On Wednesday its Water Minister Seleshi Bekele appeared to confirm the satellite images showing dam water levels rising, with state broadcaster EBC quoting him as saying it was "in line with the dam's natural construction process".

But hours later EBC backtracked, saying it apologised for "erroneous" reporting that incorrectly quoted the water minister as saying the process of filling the dam had started.

"[Mr Bekele] said negotiations on the Gerd would continue in a manner that would ensure the interests of Ethiopia", EBC clarified.

Satellite images taken between 27 June and 12 July show a steady increase in the amount of water being held back by the dam.

Two unnamed Ethiopian officials who spoke to AFP news agency have respectively blamed this on heavy rains outpacing the dam's ability to push water downstream, and it being a normal part of construction that has not stopped flow altogether.

When fully operational, the dam will become the largest hydro-electric plant in Africa, providing power to some 65 million Ethiopians, who currently lack a regular electricity supply. However, Egypt gets almost all of its water from the Nile and fears the dam will reduce supplies.

Source: Sudan blasts 'unilateral' move as Nile dam fills
 
Different people in the Ethiopian government are saying different things, but Sudan has officially confirmed the river is filling up.
Everybody knows Ethiopia is filling the dam by design (not by accident). However, Egypt doesn't want us to admit it in public for the sake of thier domestic political consumption. Therefore, we will just say "its filling up due to excess rainfall and natural flooding minamin minamin". This way, everybody is happy :)
 
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