(MENAFN) Egypt has strongly condemned Ethiopia for what it described as “reckless management” of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), located on the Nile River.

Egyptian authorities claim that Ethiopia’s handling of the dam has worsened flood conditions and placed lives in both Sudan and Egypt in danger.

In an official statement released on Friday, the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation accused Addis Ababa of breaching international legal norms.

The ministry characterized Ethiopia's behavior as showing a “lack of transparency and responsibility,” blaming it for recent flooding incidents in Sudan and warning of similar threats to Egypt’s territory.

The Egyptian government asserted that the dam’s ongoing operations are “illegal” because they are conducted without any cooperative measures or prior coordination.

It dismissed Ethiopia’s prior pledges to avoid causing harm as deceptive, calling them a form of “political exploitation of water at the expense of life.”

In response, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Water and Energy rejected the claims, calling them “malicious and baseless.”

According to Ethiopian officials, Egypt’s accusations are filled with “falsehoods and misrepresentations.”

On Saturday, representatives from Ethiopia referenced historical data showing that, before GERD’s construction, peak water flows during August and September frequently surpassed 800 million cubic meters per day.

In contrast, they noted that current outflows from the dam averaged just 155 million cubic meters in August and 472 million in September.

They argued that this proves GERD is actually mitigating flood risks.

“The numbers speak for themselves,” the ministry declared, emphasizing that the dam has played a role in lessening flood-related damage and safeguarding communities downstream.

Ethiopian officials also reiterated their readiness to engage in cooperative water management with Sudan.

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