2018

The Nile River

The conflict between Egypt and
Ethiopia

Meera Kapoor
Micheal Soeldner, GESS I&S Class 9A
12/10/2018
Meera Kapoor Michael Söldner, I&S Class 9A

Table of Contents:

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1. INTRODUCTION

The River Nile is the longest and one of the most well-known rivers in the world. It is a
complex system that the requires careful, sustainable management to ensure
continued and equitable access for all. It has played a very crucial role in Egypt’s history
since Ancient times. When the river started to flow northwards into Egypt about 5
million years ago, many Egyptians settled on the river banks, thereby starting its
civilization and culture. The River was a source of life, it served as a means of transport,
provided nutrient rich soil for crops to grow and fertile land as Egypt was a desert. The
controversial topic/conflict of Ethiopia (its neighbouring country) building a dam
continues to grow. Mainly because this will disrupt Egypt’s supply of water
(ancienthistory). 160 million people depend on the River Nile for its water
(wilsoncenter). It is known to be Egypt’s ‘lifeline’. The building of a dam will have a
devastating effect on Egypt and its people (ancienthistory).

This report has been completed on behalf of GreenPeace. It will be investigating the
River Nile as a complex system and its associated conflict and impacts.

2. THE NILE RIVER

The word “Nile” originates from the Egyptian word ‘Nelios’. It means River valley. It is
6,650 kilometres long, flows northwards and runs through 10 north-eastern African
countries; Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya,
Ethiopia, Eretria, Sudan and Egypt. It originates in Burundi, flows towards north-
eastern Africa, through Egypt, end in a Delta and eventually drains 3,349,000 square
kilometres of water into the Mediterranean Sea. Out of the 300 million people that
live within the 10 countries, 160 million people depend on the river Nile for their
livelihood (Britannica).

The two major tributaries (a stream that flows into a river) that feed the river Nile are
the white and Blue Nile. Although the White Nile is the longer tributary(3,700km) and
becomes bigger towards the great Lakes region, the Blue Nile (1,400km long) is known
to be the main source for fertile soil and water as it provides 80% of the Nile’s water.

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The blue Nile’s main source is the Lake Tana, located in the Ethiopian mountains and
is 1,800 meters above sea level. The White Nile gets its name from the white coloured
sediment settled at the bottom of the river, causing the river to be a light greyish
colour. The Blue Nile gets its named that because when the river floods during the
flood season, the currents are so strong that it erodes the fertile soil from the
Ethiopian Highlands and carry it in the river as silt. This turns the water to a very dark,
almost blackish colour. The white and Blue Nile eventually merge close to Khartoum
(The capital of Sudan), becoming the river Nile (timesofindia).

3. THE RIVER’S MAP AND LOCATION

FIGURE 1: THE RIVER NILE

The figure above is an overhead map of the River Nile. It shows the Nile’s two
tributaries; the Blue Nile and the White Nile. It also shows the different countries that
the river flows through, the river’s delta and its mouth.

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4. WHAT RELATIONSHIP DOES THE RIVER HAVE WITH EGYPT?

4.1 Ancient Egypt

The Nile was not only the start of the Egyptian civilization but also helped them
thrive. As Egypt is located in Sahara and is a desert it barely receives any rainfall
during the year. Therefore, the river was/is such an important water source to them.
The Ancient Egyptians observed that the Nile would flood for 3 months, from June to
September every year during the monsoon season. When the river receded after
flooding, the Egyptians noticed that it would leave a layer of very dark brown
sediment and silt that was conducive for growing crops. This gave them idea to plant
their crops along the bank where it flooded. When the floods stopped, they would
proceed with the planting of their goods, giving them enough time to grow before
the flood season came again. They grew wheat, barley, flax, papyrus plants,
vegetables, figs and melons. Grain was their most important crop as they used it to
make bread porridge and beer. The Egyptians believed that the River would only
flood if the Gods were pleased. If the river failed to flood that year, it was because
the gods weren’t satisfied. They came up with many ways to honour and please the
Gods to ensure a successful harvesting season. Their beliefs, culture and religion all
orbited around the river and its flooding (sciencing).

A lot of the main cities in Egypt were along the river’s banks and therefor it was used
for transportation and the shipment of from very early on. They learnt how to make
their own boats to travel up and down the river from papyrus plants which they grew
themselves (ducksters).

4.2 Modern Egypt

To this day, the river is still depended on by the Egyptians. They still greatly depend
on the river for the fertilization of their crops and transportation. It’s used further for
the generation of electricity and other hydroelectric power capabilities. Several dams
have been put in place to generate electricity and control flooding (howstuffworks).

FIGURE 2: WATER CONSUMPTION IN EGYPT

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5. RIVER SYSTEM ISSUE

5.1 Identification of the issue

The main issue that is being faced by the river at
the moment is the ongoing conflict between Egypt
and Ethiopia. Ethiopia is building a 5-billion-dollar
dam on the Blue Nile, close to its border with
Sudan. It is called the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance
Dam (GERD). If completed, it will be the largest
dam to exist in Africa, generating 6,000 megawatts
of electricity. Egypt strongly disagrees with the
construction of this dam as they fear it will lessen
the downstream flow of the river. The FAO stated
that by 2030 the estimated population of Egypt is
to be of 120 million people, they will reach their
baseline for absolute water scarcity with 500 cubic
meters per capita. This is without including the
complications that the dam will cause (CNN).
FIGURE 3: THE GERD’S LOCATION ON THE BLUE NILE

5.2Causes of the issue

Ever since Ethiopia started to build the GERD in 2011 without consulting Egypt, they
have been at odds with them. Ethiopia is currently building Africa’s largest
hydroelectric power station that will generate 6,000 megawatts of electricity to be
used indigenously and exported to other countries. Ethiopia’s pledge is to lift its fast-
growing population out of poverty, in the hope of becoming a middle-class country
(CNN). The Ethiopian minister for Water, Irrigation and electricity, Mr. Bekele, feels
that they are not trying to control the flow of the water but just trying to develop the
country through energy generation. He believes that the project will have a lot of
benefit for the downstream countries of Sudan and Egypt as dams tend to regulate the
flow of the river. This new dam could mean that the river will flow throughout the year
(BBC).

Unfortunately, Egypt and even Sudan believe this will affect the water supply down
the Nile and adversely affect their agriculture and industry. Although Hydroelectric
power stations do not consume water, Egypt disagrees about the speed at which the
GERD reservoir should be filled. Faster the speed of filling up the reservoir, slower will

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be the flow of the Nile

water thereby causing
a lack of water supply
to the Egyptians
(voanews). Egypt and
Ethiopia are trying to
negotiate whether the
reservoir (which is
going to be bigger than
greater London), is to
be filled within 3 years,
which will then affect the FIGURE 4: CONSTRUCTION OF THE GERD
level of the river, or over six
or seven years which will not majorly impact the level of the river. (bbc)

The Nile Waters Agreements (of 1929 and 1959 between Egypt and Great Britain and
Egypt and Sudan respectively) entitles 18.5 billion cubic meters of water to Sudan and
55.5 billion cubic meters to Egypt, and nothing to Ethiopia or any of the other countries
even though the latter countries are the originating source of the White and the Blue
Nile. In addition, the Nile’s water agreement gave Egypt the power to vote against any
construction project on the river or its tributaries anywhere upstream. Due to this
agreement, Egypt believes that it has legal and historical rights to the waters of the
Nile. Upstream countries, including Ethiopia argue that the agreement is unfair and
has no grounds to stand on as no one else was included in it and therefor they are not
bound by it (CNN).

5.3 The impact on the environment:

One of the biggest impacts that the dam will have on the environment is the marine
life. The life of aquatic plants and animals that have evolved in a certain river are
negatively impacted by the physical properties of a reservoir. This is because of the
reservoir, those physical properties being its temperature, the oxygen levels and its
chemical composition. In addition, reservoirs have non-native and invasive species
that threaten the natural community of plants and animals of the river. Altering the
flow of water of a river and its timing by filling up a reservoir can further affect the
ecosystem of the river (internationalrivers).

The other negative impact of a dam is that it retains the sediments that otherwise
would create fertile flood plains and deltas downstream. This not only affects the river
bed but also the structures along the river bank as well as the wooded areas.

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Alterations in the river bed further impact the level of the ground water tables and
lower the water table thereby affecting the roots of the plants, reducing the drinkable
water available to the communities who draw water from the wells
(internationalrivers).

5.4 The impact on the people:

As mentioned before the GERD will have a devastating impact on If the river’s supply
of water is affected by the dam, all the people relying on the river’s flow of water will
be too. As Egypt heavily relies on the Nile as their main water source for several
reasons (mentioned above) it will be extremely tough for them to cope with less water
supply. Officials in the Ministry of Irrigation, assert that “the dam will cause Egypt to
lose 20 to 30 percent of their water supply and a third of its electricity produced by its
Aswan High Dam” (common dreams). A lot of the low-income farmers could face crop
failure without enough water (considering that Egypt is already a desert), therefore
not having enough produce to sell. This will result in an economic loss of 2 billion USD
per year. A lot of
workers will be at
a loss for jobs. If
food is not able to
grow, the country
could suffer from
famine. With
such a drastic
change in the
water supply,
many citizens will
have to be
displaced seeking FIGURE 5: FARMING ON THE RIVER NILE
refuge in other
countries (reuters).

The secretary general of the Egyptian water Partnership, Khaled AbuZeid says “It
would also reduce hydropower generation by the High Aswan Dam by up to 40
percent” (CNN).

As for Ethiopia, this dam could potentially be very beneficial for them. Ethiopia is a
Third world country and was the third poorest country in the world in 2000. The GERD
could be very possibly pull the country out of its poverty and help them grow
economically (reuters).

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5.5 Solutions to the issue

Egypt and Ethiopia along with Sudan have been negotiating over the dam for the past
few months. Egypt cannot do anything to stop the construction of the dam, apart from
military action. The Egyptian government are finding out ways in which they can
protect the river through diplomatic means as military intervention is not ideal.
Conversation over the dam have been filled with tension and delay (circleofblue).

According to CNN the GERD is 60% complete as of 2017. It was supposedly due to be
completed by 2017 but because of complications, this did not happen. Currently, there
are no solutions to this conflict. The GERD is on its way to completion and Egypt has
not taken any action to put a halt to its construction (CNN). Egypt and Ethiopia have
to co-operate to come up with a plan in which both countries are able to be benefited
from.

Firstly, Egypt must understand that Ethiopia’s only intention is to help their own
country and not disrupt the flow of the River Nile or take anything away from them.
However, Ethiopia must try and understand that because of the Nile Water
Agreements of 1929 Egypt feels a sense of ownership over the Nile and that The Nile
has provided sustenance to Egypt for thousands of years. Ethiopia must also
understand this dam will also affect he downstream countries. This conflict will have
to be solved politically without involving military forces by the two countries with
adjustment and good intentions from both parties (CNN).

6.CONCLUSION
The conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia must be solved as soon as possible to ensure
the well-being of individuals and the environment. Egypt has depended on the Nile for
water since the beginning of the Egyptian civilization. Without the water that the Nile
provides, Egyptians will not be able to survive and maintain a sustainable lifestyle.
Therefore, causing them to seek refuge in other countries. If many Egyptians are
forced to seek refuge in other countries, this can escalate into a global issue. If the
dam has no impact on the flow of the river and the downstream countries, there is no
reason to not complete the construction or use the dam. Although, at the moment,
there are a number or reasons why the dam should not be built because of the impacts
it may have on the downstream countries.

To conclude, Egypt and Ethiopia must come up with a fair and effective agreement
that will not have big negative impacts on either of the countries or any other countries

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that the Nile flows through. Otherwise, this conflict may turn into a global issue
concerning additional countries.

REFERENCES

“Ancient Egypt.” Ducksters Educational Site, Technological Solutions, Inc.,

www.ducksters.com/history/ancient_egypt/boats_and_transportation.php.

Associated Press. “Ethiopia Leader Rejects Call for World Bank Arbitration in Dam
Dispute.” VOA, VOA, 22 Jan. 2018, www.voanews.com/a/ethiopia-rejects-world-bank-
mediation-offer/4218983.html.

Brenner, Laurie. “Two Examples of How the Nile Shaped Ancient Egypt.”
Sciencing.com, Sciencing, 6 Dec. 2018, sciencing.com/two-examples-nile-shaped-
ancient-egypt-23045.html.

“Environmental Impacts of Dams.” International Rivers,

www.internationalrivers.org/environmental-impacts-of-dams.

Hoyt, Alia. “How the Nile River Works.” HowStuffWorks, HowStuffWorks, 7 Apr. 2008,
adventure.howstuffworks.com/nile-river4.htm.

Hurst, Harold Edwin, et al. “Nile River.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia

Britannica, Inc., 17 Oct. 2018, www.britannica.com/place/Nile-River.

Knecht, Eric. “Egypt's Rice Farmers See Rough Times Downstream of New Nile Mega-
Dam.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 25 Apr. 2018, www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-
rice-insight/egypts-rice-farmers-see-rough-times-downstream-of-new-nile-mega-dam-
idUSKBN1HU1O0.

Lazarus, Sarah. “Is Ethiopia Taking Control of the River Nile?” CNN, Cable News Network,
21 Oct. 2018, edition.cnn.com/2018/10/19/africa/ethiopia-new-dam-threatens-egypts-
water/index.html.

Machado, Julius. “What's the Blue Nile and the White Nile? - Times of India.” The Times
of India, Business, 24 Jan. 2009, timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Whats-the-Blue-Nile-
and-the-White-Nile/articleshow/4027990.cms.

Mark, Joshua J. “Nile.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 6 Dec.
2018, www.ancient.eu/nile/.

McGrath, Cam. “Nile River Dam Threatens War Between Egypt and Ethiopia.” Common
Dreams, Common Dreams, 22 Mar. 2014,
www.commondreams.org/news/2014/03/22/nile-river-dam-threatens-war-between-
egypt-and-ethiopia.

“Navigating Peace.” Wilson Center, Jan. 2007,

www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/NavigatingPeaceIssuePKM.pdf.

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Ritter, Kayla. “HotSpots H2O, March 5: Spotlight on the Grand Ethiopian

Renaissance Dam.” Circle of Blue, Kayla Ritter Https://Www.circleofblue.org/Wp-
Content/Uploads/2018/06/Circle-of-Blue-Water-Speaks-600x139.Png, 15 June 2018,
www.circleofblue.org/2018/hotspots/hotspots-h2o-march-5-spotlight-grand-ethiopian-
renaissance-dam/.

“The 'Water War' Brewing over the New River Nile Dam.” BBC News, BBC, 24 Feb.
2018, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-43170408.

Figures:

Figure 1: Mads. “The Nile River and Its Influence on Settlement.” South African History Online, 22 Mar. 2017,
www.sahistory.org.za/topic/nile-river-and-its-influence-settlement.

Figure 2: Lazarus, Sarah. “Is Ethiopia Taking Control of the River Nile?” CNN, Cable News Network, 21 Oct. 2018,
www.cnn.com/2018/10/19/africa/ethiopia-new-dam-threatens-egypts-water/index.html.

Figure 3: “The Vanishing Nile: A Great River Faces a Multitude of Threats.” Yale E360,
e360.yale.edu/features/vanishing-nile-a-great-river-faces-a-multitude-of-threats-egypt-dam.

Figure 4: Lazarus, Sarah. “Is Ethiopia Taking Control of the River Nile?” CNN, Cable News Network, 21 Oct. 2018,
www.cnn.com/2018/10/19/africa/ethiopia-new-dam-threatens-egypts-water/index.html.

Figure 5: Hallam, Ruth. “Farming on the River Nile.” Flickr, Yahoo!, 27 Dec. 2009,
www.flickr.com/photos/rhallam/4218909801.

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