By Michael Woldeyes, LLM student International Human Rights Law,  m.mengistu student.rug.nl

Ethiopia is building a grand dam on the nile with the aim of “lifting millions out of poverty”.[1] The construction of this dam started in 2011 and is still on going. Almost 80% of the construction including the second stage of filling of the dam is completed.[2] However, Egypt and Sudan, which rely highly on the river for water, contest the construction of the dam claiming that the dam will limit their water share.[3] The three countries have tried to reach an agreement on the dam, but to no avail.

The construction of the dam could be seen from various angles including political, economic, and security perspectives. This blogpost sees the dam from a right to health perspective focusing on Ethiopia. It shows how the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (hereafter GERD) could be key in ensuring the right to health of millions of Ethiopians despite it being a contested project. Accordingly, it first discusses the conditions of Ethiopians who live without any access to electricity. By looking into the relevant components of the right to health, this blog then asserts that the GERD is a major step towards fulfilling the right to health of millions of Ethiopians. However, it should be stressed here that this is just one way of seeing the dam. The relationship between the right to health and the GERD could also be assessed from the perspectives of the downstream countries.

Living without access to electricity and health

According to a 2019 World Bank report, Ethiopia is only able to provide electricity to 48.3% of its population of more than 110 million people.[4] The rest of the population lives in darkness and it “entirely depends on biomass for everyday energy needs except for the light”.[5] This biomass based energy which is sourced from dung cakes, wooden charcoals, wooden logs, and crop residues causes health risks.[6] For example, cooking smoke is known to contribute to respiratory diseases such as “acute respiratory infections, stunted growth in children, pneumonia, chronic bronchitis in women, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cataracts and other visual impairments, cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, tuberculosis, and perinatal diseases”.[7] In addition, electricity is important in healthcare provision. Without access to electricity, more than 50% of the Ethiopian population is at a constant risk of either receiving low standard medical care or not receiving any medical care at all. The GERD, upon completion, will “relieve Ethiopia’s acute energy shortage” and can improve medical care.[8] Does this mean that the GERD is a major step in fulfilling the right to health of millions of Ethiopians?

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and the right to health

The right to health is protected under article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. This article bestows upon all Ethiopians the right to “the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health”. According to the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, the right to health extends “not only to timely and appropriate health care but also to the underlying determinants of health, such as … healthy occupational and environmental conditions”.[9] Hence, Ethiopians are entitled cleaner energy sources in the house. Without healthy occupational and environmental conditions, free from cooking smoke based on unhealthy biofuels, their right to respiratory health cannot be guaranteed. For millions of Ethiopians, one of the most efficient ways for creating a healthy environment is the removal of traditional cooking facilities with harmful emissions inside the home. This requires the creation of infrastructure that can accommodate the generation and distribution of cleaner electricity. This has been recognized by the human rights bodies. For instance, according to the Committee on the Right of the Child, one of the core requirements to a healthy upbringing and development of the child is adequate housing with non-dangerous cooking facilities and a smoke-free environment.[10] In this regard, it recommended Haiti to “take all possible measures to reduce women’s and children’s exposure to indoor smoke”[11] and “to take all necessary measures to reduce sources of air pollution, including … by ensuring access to a reliable electricity grid”.[12] The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women acknowledges that access to energy including electricity should be ensured for rural women since in addition to being exposed to in-house smoke, they are prone to other health risks which result from the time and effort required for gathering fuels.[13]

Access to electricity is not only essential for replacing traditional cooking facilities with healthy equipment, it is also indispensable in the provision of medical care for those who need it. For example, Caesarean delivery is almost impossible without having access to reliable energy. Consequently, the States’ obligation to create conditions to provide medical service and medical attention requires reliable electricity. Therefore, human rights law obliges Ethiopia to provide electricity to its population to protect the health of its citizens. In this regard, the GERD project, with its expected capacity of producing 6,000MW upon completion, can be labeled as a major step towards fulfilling the right to health of individuals.

In conclusion, electricity is very essential to ensuring the right to health of individuals. Yet, more than half of the Ethiopian population is living without access to electricity. As a result, the GERD is an important project which, among other factors, determines the fulfillment of the right to health for millions of Ethiopians – especially for women and children – by ensuring access to electricity.

[1] The Embassy of Ethiopia to the US, “The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Project” <https://ethiopianembassy.org/the-grand-ethiopian-renaissance-dam-project-gerdp/> accessed on July 8, 2021.

[2] Middle East Monitor, “Ethiopia: 80% of dam construction complete” <https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20210520-ethiopia-80-of-dam-construction-complete/> last accessed on July 8, 2021. See also Reuters, “Ethiopia says second filling of giant dam on Blue Nile complete” <https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/second-filling-ethiopias-giant-dam-nearly-complete-state-run-media-2021-07-19/> accessed on August 20, 2021.

[3] Ibid.

[4] The World Bank, “Access to electricity (% of population) – Ethiopia” <https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS?locations=ET> accessed on July 7, 2021.

[5] Mehari Weldemariam Degefa, “Energy analysis in rural Ethiopia and Eastern Amhara households” [2020] 7 MRS Energy & Sustainability, 2.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Jorg Langbein, “Firewood, smoke and respiratory diseases in developing countries – The neglected role of outdoor cooking” [2017] 12 (6) PLoS One, 2.

[8] Shimelis Dessu, “The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is the new reality. Why a deal must be done” <https://theconversation.com/the-grand-ethiopian-renaissance-dam-is-the-new-reality-why-a-deal-must-be-done-107100> accessed on July 7, 2021.

[9] UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, “General Comment No. 14: The Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health (Art. 12)” (11 August 2000) E/C.12/2000/4 para 11.

[10] UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, “General Comment No. 15: On the Right of the Child to the Enjoyment of the Highest Attainable Standard of Health” (17 April 2013) CRC/C/GC/15 para 49.

[11] UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, “Concluding Observations: Haiti” (24 February 2016) CRC/C/HTI/CO/2-3 (2016) para 53 (C).

[12] Ibid para 53 (a).

[13] UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, “General Recommendation No. 34 on the Rights of Rural Women” (4 March 2016) CEDAW/C/GC/34 para 84.