Grand ethiopian renaissance dam site importance

Abstract

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) site selection is influenced by dam engineering, political objectives, economic benefits, than dam security, environmental and social dynamics. The GERD site is about 20 km from the Ethio-Sudan boarder in the Benshangul-Gumuz region of Western Ethiopia. This chapter evaluates the hydrological and geological or geotechnical characteristics of catchment and dam site with respect to suitability of the GERD reservoir site. Detailed hydrological review to the Blue Nile basin is covered in Chap. 4. The influence of domestic and regional socio-political, economic and environmental factors on GERD site selection were reviewed.