Saturday, August 01, 2009

Egypt Blocks Nile Water Deal


Egypt Blocks Nile Water Deal

Will this area be a place of 'water wars' as climate change and population increases continue to place strains on water resources? Tensions are already flaring as Egypt claims it needs to have the water it was allotted previously due to the fact that it is the Nile alone that supplies the majority of its water. Whereas other riparian states have other sources of water and receive more rain. Is this a valid claim? Does Egypt not hold any responsibility for the water it uses, its population increases, nor its consumption and irrigation practices? What of the future as we already see many areas getting less rainfall and water evaporation taking place due to changes in climate?

Also, there are many dams built in this area that already decrease available water resources to agricultural areas and which have displaced thousands of people. I find it illogical that based on the predictions of future climate changes for this area, drought, and water usage that is wasteful as well as the many dams being built that cause diversion of water resources and environmental devastation that Egypt or Sudan can continue to give these same excuses for much longer.

More about the Nile Basin Initiative:

Nile Basin Initiative

2 comments:

SteveK said...

Part of the problem is the enormous water loss before the water reaches the Nile. Many of its tributaries are dried out and overgrown with weeds. Water Hyacinth, papyrus, Typha, and Phragmites clog steams and lakes across the continent. Clear the aquatic weeds and dredge the silt they have left behind, and you will increase the water supply for all.

محب مصر said...

Atlas Of Risks Of Climate Change On The Egyptian Coasts And Defensive Policies (2 volumes)
By Prof. Dr./ Khaled Abd El-Kader Ouda
Professor Emeritus of Stratigraphy and Paleontology, Geology
The study considers successively 1) the topography and geomorphology of the Nile Delta ; 2) the impacts on the Nile Delta during the last century of the combined effects of a) severe coastal erosion processes, b) sediment deficiency since the construction of the Aswan high Dam, c) sea level rise, d) delta subsidence as well as e) human impacts on the coastline; 3) the present geomorphology of the northern lakes of the Nile Delta after having been suffered from intensive human impacts which have led to drying and reduction in surface area by about 50% -83% of their original size during the last 25 years; 4) the various scenarios of the impact of sea level rise on these coasts. This discussion ends with an illustration of the risks on the Egyptian coasts on topographic maps designated for all coasts beaches and shores using Digital Elevation Data derived from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM NASA space.
The impact that sea level rise of up to one meter is expected to have is illustrated graphically on various coasts: the Northwest Delta (West of Rosetta Branch), the North Delta (between the two Nile branches), the Northeast Delta (East of Damietta Branch); the shores of Alexandria, From Abu Qir east to Agami west; the shores of the coastal plain of the northern Western Desert from Alexandria east to Sallum west; the shores of the northern coastal plain of Sinai Peninsula, the western and eastern coasts of the Gulf of Suez, the western coast of the Gulf of Aqaba , the Egyptian coast of the Red Sea from Hurghada north to Halaib south, and the coasts of the Bitter Lakes and Temsah Lake along the Suez Canal.

Contact-Us
http://www.climatechangeatlas.com/
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address: 10 botros ghaly st roxy cairo egypt
phone:002 -24534647
fax: 002-24534655
mail: info@al-resalagroup.com

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