Inna Tintchev

Dr. Womack
C Period
4/30/14

Water Scarcity in the Nile Basin:
A Multilayered Predicament

Abstract

The growing population, poor sanitation, and lack of tillable farmland in Egypt,
Ethiopia, and Sudan as well as continuing draught has lead to water scarcity in these
nations and a battle for control of the Niles waters, the main source of fresh water for all
those countries. Most of their territory is a desert and the only tillable land is located on
the banks of the Nile. However more than 58% of the population in these North African
countries sustains itself through farming. As a result, roughly 70% of the population in
these countries lives along the Niles fertile banks. However, population growth in Egypt,
Sudan and Ethiopia has lead to overcrowding in these areas. The Egyptian, Ethiopian,
and Sudanese, governments have made efforts to diffuse their population by offering
cheap parcels of land in desert areas of their countries. However, the lack of water in
these regions makes farming difficult. In order, to water their crops, farmers irrigate
water from the Nile. However, the lack of rainfall and growing population in Egypt,
Ethiopia, and Sudan has made freshwater scarce. Moreover, poor sanitation in Ethiopia
and Sudan has let to the contamination of the freshwater with human and animal waste
and an epidemic of schistosomiasis, transmitted through fresh water snails further
Inna Tintchev
Dr. Womack
C Period
4/30/14
limiting the freshwater supply in these countries. Desperate to feed their growing nations
Ethiopia and Sudan are challenging Egypts majority stake of the Nile.

Hydrologist Point of View

As a result of global warming there has been decreased rainfall in Egypt,
Ethiopia, and Sudan. Moreover, 11% of the Niles water is lost to evaporation each year.
Both of these factors lead to significant losses in the Niles annual water supply. The
average Egyptian has access to a sufficient supply of fresh water for domestic use.
However, it lacks water for farming. Since more than half the population of these North
African countries sustains itself through agriculture, there is famine in these nations. In
Sudan and Ethiopia, however, access to fresh drinking water is an issue. Citizens from
these countries primarily gather water from wells, lakes, and streams. However, the
Niles decreasing water supply has depleted these water sources. Moreover, the little
water that is left in often contaminated with human and animal waste, worms or disease.

Congressperson Point of View
The majority of the citizens of Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan live along the banks of
the Nile River. As a result of the growing population in these countries, there has been
overcrowding along the Niles fertile Coast. In order to spread out the population, the
government has offered cheap parcels of land in rural areas. However, many of these
parcels were bought by commercial mega-farms who are growing cash crops for export.
As a result, these parcels do little to feed the growing populations of these countries.
Inna Tintchev
Dr. Womack
C Period
4/30/14
Moreover, watering the crops of citizens who do farm in the dessert has proven to be a
challenge. The Niles fluctuating water supply has made irrigation more difficult. The
policy for 60 years has been to expand the cultivated surface of Egypt, getting people out
of the valley and into the desert, Richard Tutwiler of The American University in Cairo
said. But its a different environment out there. The drainage issues are different. And
the irrigation, it needs more power. It involves a much higher capital investment that poor
farmers just dont have.

Solution Number One
One way to increase the amount of available water for irrigation in Egypt,
Ethiopia, and Sudan is to build a series of dams along the Nile River. The dams store
water from the Nile. This way, when the Nile enters a dry season, there will be sufficient
water left for farming. By harvesting more abundant crops, the hunger levels in these
countries would decrease. Historically the silt left behind from the receding waters of the
Nile after the annual flooding would fertilize the land. The construction of the High Dam
of Aswan in the 1970s interrupted the natural cycle. Although building the dam or a
system of dams along the river appears to solve problems related to hunger in these
countries, it would be impractical from a hydrological perspective. Three billion cubic
meters of the water in the dam and its irrigation canals evaporates, leaving less water for
farming. Moreover, farmers at the heads of irrigation canals have better access to
freshwater. They consume the majority of the freshwater of the dam. As a result, there is
Inna Tintchev
Dr. Womack
C Period
4/30/14
less water left for farmers at the ends of the canals. Moreover, these dams could cause
political friction between countries of close to the source of the Nile, Ethiopia and Sudan,
and countries close to its head, Egypt. If a dam were to be built in Ethiopia or Sudan, it
would decrease the amount of water flowing to Egypt. As a result this country would
receive less water and would most likely not approve of this plan of action.

Solution Number 2

Another solution to decrease water scarcity in the countries of Egypt, Ethiopia,
and Sudan, is to limit the growing population of these nations. A smaller population
would decrease the demand for water in these countries and would leave more water
available for domestic and agricultural use. One way to decrease the population in these
nations is to create reeducation programs for their female citizens. The average fertility
rate in Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan is four children per-woman. If the rate decreased to
one or two children per-woman, there would be a substantial decrease in the total
population. A hydrologist would approve of this system because it would decrease a
countrys overall demand for water and would reduce problems related to water
distribution. However, initiative must still be taken to eliminate the schistosomiasis in the
Niles waters and to fertilize the rivers banks. A congressperson would also approve of
this system for the reason mentioned above. However, he or she would also agree on his
or her countrys need for programs eliminating schistosomiasis, fertilizing the Niles
coasts, and sanitizing water sources in Sudan and Ethiopia.
Inna Tintchev
Dr. Womack
C Period
4/30/14