Why Egypt's lifeline is drying up | Nile Conflict

Egypt is a vast country spreading over a million square kilometers but numbers can be deceiving only about 3% of the country's land mass is actually habitable whereas the rest of it is a seemingly endless desert if you take a look at satellite pictures you'll see a thin green ribbon wriggling through a vast expanse of Sahara sand the River Nile is practically the only source of water for the country which is why it's often called its lifeline it's banks are home to almost the entire population of Egypt for thousands of years the river has been a source of irrigation that transforms the dry area around it into lush agricultural land the bustling mega city of Cairo is considered by many to be the capital of the Arab world for its population of over 20 million the Nile is the only source of water but the origins of this waterway are to be found beyond Egypt's borders the headwaters of the Nile are almost 7,000 kilometres south where the sources around Lake Victoria and the Ethiopian highlands feed the white and the Blue Nile around 60% of the river Niles waters originate here in the simian Mountains in Ethiopia but Egypt's lifeline is under threat the farmers living along its riverbanks are struggling where the Niles waters used to flow unabated Lee thus irrigating local farmlands the canals are slowly drying up there's very little water from the Nile in winter the situation is a bit better but in the summer months we don't get any water as a result Egypt's government wants its farmers to use more efficient irrigation systems and plant crops that need less water Waga but the river draining into non-existence is nothing new to the Nile region let's go back in time ten thousand years ago the panorama looked like this vast grasslands rivers and lakes filled with water life was blooming everywhere was lush and rich but over time conditions became hotter and drier humans and animals had to resettle leaving behind these cave paintings portraying an old forgotten way of life maroa was the capital of the ancient kingdom of cush these small pyramids were the blueprints for the monumental tombs of the Pharaohs once a vibrant trading hub for ivory and gold around the 3rd century AD the city of Moreau a was lost in the sands of time around 1,500 kilometers to the west in northeastern chad is the Eneida plateau 10,000 years ago this place had a subtropical climate with enough rain to sustain large lakes and the yellow nile the third main tributary to the river nile which has now disappeared what's left are a few subterranean caverns filled with water like the famous guell 'te of RK the water source for thousands of camels and the last resort for several animal species in the region including the West African crocodile old cave paintings dry wadays and abandoned ancient cities serve as a warning sign for modern Egyptian communities the fear that this pillar of life could crumble and whole societies vanish is imprinted on the nation's cultural memory apart from the current water scarcity problems in Egypt an additional geopolitical dispute has come into play in 2011 Ethiopia launched a 5 billion dollar project called the grand Ethiopian Renaissance dam GERD as it is called is set to be the largest dam in Africa putting an end to decades of food power and water shortages in Ethiopia additionally the sale of surplus electricity to other countries in the region could bring in 1 billion dollars a year in badly needed revenue the project is fully supported by all of its neighbors but is heating up fears in Egypt GERD can only begin to achieve the benefits promised to Ethiopia by creating a vast reservoir holding back River water that would otherwise pass down the Nile Egypt now fears that their farm lands could dry out even further the source of life is becoming a source of conflict to an extent that some leaders have even issued saber-rattling threats many news and media platforms have even spread their concerns of a water war brewing over the Nile dam fortunately the conflict has toned down a bit over recent months with mediating help of Sudan in the USA Ethiopia and Egypt are now trying to find diplomatic resolutions Ethiopia could minimize the immediate downstream damage by lengthening the time it takes to fill the reservoir Egypt on the other hand has to do its part by investing in innovative farming and irrigation methods which would help reduce its demand for water like all major waterways the River Nile is a delicate ecosystem that needs to be protected by all the countries surrounding it

Channel: Terra Mater

Views: 4,587,190

Keywords: nile, gerd, ethiopia, war, water, environment, dam, river, lion, cave, painting, resources, Egypt, Arab, Middle East, Geopolitics, Nile River, Red Sea, Egyptians, Desert, Sinai, Peninsula, Turkey, Israel, Libya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Density, Cairo, Economy, Mediterranean, Trade, Suez Canal, al jazeera english, al jazeera, aljazeera, aljazeera english happening now, battle for the nile, nile egypt, nile ethiopia, hydroelectric dam, nile al jazeera, neo, How the Nile Can Provide Life and Divide Nations | Part I

Id: WKCW5Gg6Ffo

Length: 7min 50sec (470 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 17 2020