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What are the threats to the Nile River?
Egypt’s lifeline since Pharaonic days and the source of 97 percent of its water is under massive strain from pollution and climate change and now the threat of a colossal dam.
What happened to the Nile River?
The Nile River is under assault on two fronts – a massive dam under construction upstream in Ethiopia and rising sea levels leading to saltwater intrusion downstream. It’s happening now in the Nile River delta, a low-lying region fanning out from Cairo roughly a hundred miles to the sea.
How did the Nile river help Egypt?
Every aspect of life in Egypt depended on the river – the Nile provided food and resources, land for agriculture, a means of travel, and was critical in the transportation of materials for building projects and other large-scale endeavors. It was a critical lifeline that literally brought life to the desert.
Why does Egypt need the Nile?
The Nile, which flows northward for 4,160 miles from east-central Africa to the Mediterranean, provided ancient Egypt with fertile soil and water for irrigation, as well as a means of transporting materials for building projects. Its vital waters enabled cities to sprout in the midst of a desert.
What environmental factors affect the Nile river?
Lakes in northern Egypt are affected by drainage of polluted water and this affects the diversity of their fish, phytoplank-ton and other microorganisms. Nile pollutants are derived from sources such as industrial wastewater, oil pollution, municipal wastewater, agricultural drainage, and include natural cyanotoxins.
What caused the Nile River dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia?
Disputes between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan over Nile River water rights culminated into outright tensions in 1978 following Ethiopia’s proposal of dam construction on the Blue Nile. Ethiopia’s proposal was met with significant Egyptian backlash that ultimately led to the failure of the project.
What is the Egypt-Sudan Dam dispute all about?
And in terms of disputes, Egypt and Sudan want a resolution mechanism with binding results, but Ethiopia doesn’t. Construction of the dam was completed in July, and the filling of its reservoir started soon after amid heavy rains but before an agreement between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan was signed.
Will Ethiopia build a dam on the Nile River?
Even earlier, the possibility that Ethiopia would build a dam on the Nile was a nightmare scenario always present in the minds of Egyptian leaders. GERD will produce electricity for Ethiopian domestic consumption and for export to neighboring countries rather than provide water for irrigation.
What is the Ethiopian-Egyptian water war all about?
The Ethiopian-Egyptian Water War Has Begun. The conflict between Ethiopia and Egypt over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has already started. It’s just happening in cyberspace. Workers move iron girders from a crane at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, near Guba in Ethiopia, on Dec. 26, 2019.