It was necessary to build the Aswan high dam because of population increase -
more food and water needed. More power needed and the solution was that of a large reservoir and a dam for producing hydroelectricity.
The site was suitable because: The valley was narrow and deep upstream to Wadi
Halfa, Land had little agricultural use, Aswan granite could be used to make the
. The Environmental consequences of the Aswan Dam scheme in urban and rural
areas;
How successful have the water management schemes been?
* El Sahir Improved started using sprinkler systems, saving £20,000 per
hectare rather than irrigation systems it was good for a country like Egypt which can
now grow cash crops that can be sold outside the country -boosting the economy.
Also water can be fed directly to the plants via plastic pipes laid under the soil.
* ·Secure water supply has made possible the extension for irrigated land along
much of the desert - increasing crop yields but creates the salinisation of the
desert LAND GRADUALLY BECOMES INFARMABLE.
* ·Increased crop yields, as farmers can access more water.
* ·Technology for sprinklers has to be imported which is expensive for the Egyptian government.
* ·Spread of the water borne disease BKHARZIA as people are still using old technology - the saquia; cutting by hand, workers contract bkharzia which causes blindness and death.
* ·Irrigation is possible in farmland around the lake, crops being produced with
a cheap source of water.
The creation of Lake Nasser has:
* 'Enhanced fishing, which provides food and a livelihood for people living on
the lake.
* ·Full protection against the flooding of the Nile in Egypt, a large reliable
source of drinking water, lasts for 3 years in case of a drought.
* ·Tourism on the lake to visit Nubian temples.
* ·20% of the water is lost due to evaporation and seepage.
What are the Hydrological consequences, how have they changed the Nile?
* Silt Deposits have stopped; no alluvium, no more natural fertiliser, farmers
now have to buy artificial, expensive fertilisers.
* · Lake Nasser created, destroyed cataracts, covered lots of arable land, and not
expected to be so large.
* · Flooding stopped, as the Nile can now be controlled.
* · Nile is being eroded as the river is flowing faster, less sediment to carry.
It is being eroded, so is getting wider.
* · Fish stocks, sardines have been reduced in the sea, as the nutrients have not
been feeding the plankton that grows there. This means that fishery near the
coast has decreased and wildlife is dying.
* · Fishing in Lake Nasser is producing 50,000 fish a year; a new industry has
been created around the lake.
* · Introducing such a large volume of water into the reservoir, which has
increased pressure on the sediment strata , as a result there is ...
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It is being eroded, so is getting wider.
* · Fish stocks, sardines have been reduced in the sea, as the nutrients have not
been feeding the plankton that grows there. This means that fishery near the
coast has decreased and wildlife is dying.
* · Fishing in Lake Nasser is producing 50,000 fish a year; a new industry has
been created around the lake.
* · Introducing such a large volume of water into the reservoir, which has
increased pressure on the sediment strata , as a result there is an increased
probability of earthquakes in the area, such as the one in 1981.
How have other landforms, which are dependant on the flow of the Nile been
changed?
* ·Many cataracts have been filled in by Lake Nasser, 5 in total.
* ·Delta; Retreating into Egypt as there is no new silt deposits to make land.
* Gradually becoming saltier as there are no floods to wash away the salt from the
sea; salinisation - becoming in farmable slowly.
* Severe erosion to the Egyptian coastline. The delta is not getting the usual
sediment so is being eroded. This was a natural habitat for wildlife, gradually
being destroyed. The delta was the most fertile area in Africa, counting for 90%
of Egypt's agricultural value. This has decreased since the Aswan dam was built,
as it has not been receiving the usual deposits of alluvium and sediment. Delta
also hosts most of Egypt's industrial business; food processing and textiles.
* Much of it is exported, main docks are here; Alexandria and Port Said. Is also
important as it has major natural gas reserves. The delta is retreating by 30m a
year.
* ·The water table is rising in the Nile valley, causing major erosion of the
foundations of the ancient temples and monuments.
2. The consequences of the Aswan dam scheme on the people in urban and rural
How has the natural environment of the Nile Valley influenced human activity?
* It is the most fertile land in Egypt as it has the alluvium deposits given
after the flood. This has now stopped so farming is now more expensive for
farmers.
* People chose to live next to the Nile, not in the desert. Only 4% of Egypt was
used for agriculture, now 8% is used because irrigation is cheap.
Which group of people have suffered as a result of the scheme?
* Tour Operators: Wonderful temples have been destroyed, some were rescued.
* The Nubian people: 120,000 moved as their homes were in the path of Lake
Nasser, relocated by the Egyptian government to new irrigated land on Kom Ombo
and Kashm el Girba. Oberservations of them since the relocation suggest that
their health has improved and their agriculture remained relatively modest, but
their lifestyle was destroyed. They are considered important, as they are
believed to be the first human races on earth, most of their customs were
adopted by the ancient Egyptians.
* Farmers: They have to buy expensive fertilisers from abroad or from the
factories in Egypt. The fertilisers are controversial as they causing chemical
pollution in the soil that the silt did not.
* Indifferent irrigation control has also caused some farmland to be damaged by
waterlogging and increased salinity, a problem complicated by the reduced flow
of the river, which allows salt water further into the delta
* Fisherman in the North: The sardine catch east of the delta have been reduced,
lots of fishermen have lost jobs. The fish catch was halved as the dam was
built, but now appear to be recovering.
* Doctor: water bourne diseases have spread; bilharzias in the irrigation
channels, maleria near the lake and schistosomiasis which are caused because
there is more plant life in the irrigation channels which host the snails that
carry the disease.
* Government official: With no silt deposits, the erosion of the delta is
causing great concern, less agricultural, but they are using silt from lake
Nasser to help reclaim the desert.
* Red Brick Makers: have reduced as the delta is no longer suppling the red clay
used to make the bricks.
* A POLITICAL EFFECT: The dam, if destroyed, would flood all of Egypts most
fertile land (around the Nile) and kill millions. It would effectively destroy
Egypt. During the Yom Kippur War, the dam was targeted by Israeli Air Force.
This is rumoured to have prompted Anwar Sadat's (Egypt's minister) to make peace with Israel.
What are the consequences for the population?
* The Aswan Dam was half producing energy in Egypt during the 1980's. But this
had fallen in the 1990's as demand for electricity increased because the
population had increased. So although it originally increased industries, they
have now become a drain on the power that many civilians need.
* Contamination of the soils and the Nile water by the developing industry. If
agriculture becomes harder and less economical, abandonment of fields will
become more common, this will accelerate desertification of the Egyptian scanty
productive areas.
3. Your Suggestions about how the scheme could be managed in the future.
Which groups have benefited from the scheme?
* People can now transport goods in ships up and down the Nile all year round,
as there are no more floods.
* Civilians around the lake have benefited as new jobs have been created, new
fishing. Healthier lifestyle and food.
* Farmers are now able to irrigate more land, as more water is available to them
than before. Desert is now available to be farmed. They can now farm 2 crop
cycles a year rather than 1 a year. More income for the farmers through cash
crops.
* Tourism has been boosted. The dam is a new tourist spot and the tourists want
to see Elephantine Island with all the temples. This has helped the Nubian
tribes recover from the move. Cruises on Lake Nasser now available, though they
pollute the water.
* Citizens in the towns along the Nile no longer have to worry about the threat
of flooding and possession loss. Less deaths because floods don't happen any
more.
* TNC's can now move into Egypt, as there is more electricity available for the
development of industry and factories.
* Job opportunities have arisen from the building of factories in Egypt. Many of
the factories produce the artificial fertilisers for the farmers to use on their
crops.
Should the management of the scheme have been done differently?
Partly. I feel that the scheme should have been researched more
Beforehand, checking thoroughly what the consequences would be for Egypt. The
Planning of the scheme was somewhat disorganized and should have been planned
Better so that the scheme didn't run over budget. The soviets benefited from it
And so did Egypt but it has done more damage than good. With better planning and
Research the scheme, I feel could have been more successful.
Should other forms of development have been chosen?
No, I think a smaller dam would have been more efficient the high Aswan dam. The
technology to allow the silt through the dam or to be collected in the reservoir
should have been developed. This loss for the farming community has been costly
and Egypt's economy has suffered because of it.
If the dam hadn't been built than the Egyptian government should have invested in more power plants, maybe Nuclear, but with the vast amount of desert and sunlight, solar panels could have been made instead of hydroelectric power. By making the Aswan High Dam the Egyptian government has affected its economy in both a good way and a bad way. With the loss of the Alluvium, farming has become more expensive. But because there is an increase in power and water, TNC's will be more willing to settle in Egypt, they'll create more jobs and in turn create a multiplier affect, attracting other companies to invest in the Egypt economy.
Conclusion
From a short-term view, the Aswan high dam has been a success; as it has quickly boosted the Egyptian economy, because it has regulated the Niles flow, allowing ships to travel freely along the Nile, and creating electricity - allowing industries to be set up in Egypt. On a long-term point-of-view, the Aswan dam scheme has failed, as the devastating impact on the Egyptian environment has unsettled a balance of nature, which cannot be easily fixed. What the dam represents will be rendered useless in about a centuries time because Lake Nasser will gradually fill up, and because of rapid population increases, the HEC produced at Aswan will not be sufficient for the ever growing population. The project, from the start was criticised by environmentalists and citizens, but the Aswan Dam still went ahead. Plauged with corruption and dept the sceme has affected Egypt on a whole. It has made the country more prone to attack and terrorism, whilst inadvertadly created scandal amongst world-wide relations and cynics. After Britain pulled out of funding the project in 1950 a coup was set up in Egypt, supporting the Algerian revolution-which angered Britain. A similar project to this is the new development of the Three Gorges Project in China. It has been hugely criticised, but work is still going ahead. The project, like the Aswan Dam, is quite simply a need for power and a project which mainly boosts the countries visible features. Many other schemes were available, but I believe this one was targeted due to the scale and appeal of the dam.
