Concerns Mount in Egypt as Ethiopia's Renaissance Dam Nears Completion

Hisham Kassem, Egyptian editor and publisher, says "it could be catastrophic" if governments fail to reach a deal on the Renaissance dam, in Cairo, Egypt, Feb. 26, 2018.

A campaign banner along the Nile urges voters to re-elect President Sissi in next month's elections. Ethiopia embarked on construction of the gigantic dam as Egypt was embroiled in the political turmoil of the 2011 revolution that toppled longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak.

Overcrowding in Cairo is already contributing to pollution in the Nile, Feb. 26, 2018. Experts say the problem may get worse if the dam chokes off the river’s flow.

For millennia, the Nile has been the heart of Egypt’s culture and economy. Now, Egyptians fear the Renaissance Dam could bring an environmental disaster.