If Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia don’t reach an agreement over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam until the very last minute, “it may be poorly structured and difficult to implement,” Kevin Wheeler, of Water Balance Consulting, tells The Financial Times. “He warns that the countries need to start cooperating soon, because setting up systems to share information and develop protocols will take time. In an ideal situation, the operation of dams and reservoirs on the Nile would be coordinated between the three states, for example to ensure the water in Egypt’s Aswan High Dam lake was at the level needed to operate the turbines for electricity generation,” Heba Saleh and John Aglionby write.

In related news, Egypt is reportedly planning to build “100 integrated housing units” for residents of the disputed Halayeb area, Middle East Monitor says. The border area has been a thorn in Egyptian-Sudanese relations for years, but tensions recently flared after Sudan suggested Egypt sign a sovereignty handover agreement as it did with Saudi over the Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir or face international arbitration. Both nations have been unrelenting in their claim over the territory.