What did the men not realize when a dam was built across the river Nile?
When the Aswan Dam was built across the River Nile in Egypt, it was meant to help the farmers by giving them water when they needed it. Unfortunately, people did not realize that much of the nourishing food for plants in the river would be trapped by the dam so the farmlands would suffer.
Why is Nile important?
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 is the Blue Nile Dam and why is it controversial?
Its construction began in 2011 on the Blue Nile tributary in the northern Ethiopia highlands, from where 85\% of the Nile’s waters flow. However, the mega dam has caused a row between Egypt and Ethiopia, with Sudan caught in between, which some fear could lead to war, and the US is now helping to mediate. Why is it so contentious?
Why is Egypt worried about the Nile River Dam?
Egypt, which relies almost entirely on the Nile for its water supply, sees this as an existential issue. Last year, Sudan’s water supply was disrupted by the filling of the dam, while Ethiopia sees it as a way to bring electricity to millions of its citizens.
Why does Egypt fear the construction of the Aswan Dam?
Egypt also fears that the dam could restrict its already scarce supply of the Nile waters, which is almost the only water source for its citizens. It could also affect transport on the Nile in…
Why is there more water coming out of the dam?
This is because more water is entering the dam site than the volume of water that can physically pass through the two open outlets in the dam wall (60-110 million cubic metres a day). Alastair Leithead and his team travelled in 2018 from the Blue Nile’s source to the sea – through Ethiopia and Sudan into Egypt.