The High Aswan Dam – background
The use of water became a critical component of the development of the world, particularly during the nineteenth and twentieth century (Asit K. Biswas & Cecilia Tortajada 2001). Water control and an assured water supply became essential requirements of continuing economic and social development of any nation.
The Nile River is an important water resource for Egypt and runs 6,650km from its source in Ethiopia to the Mediterranean Sea. Before the High Aswan Dam was built in the 1960s the Nile River flooded every year during summer and deposited sediments and nutrients that the enriched the land located on the flood plain and made it fertile and important for cropping.
The decision to build the High Aswan dam was a good one at the time as Egypt’s population was increasing and a high flood could wipe out a years worth of crops, the ability to control the flood waters was important. The dams construction started in January 1960 and was completed in July 1970. The dam reached capacity by 1976. The completed dam was seen as a symbol of development and progress in a newly independent Egypt (Asit K. Biswas & Cecilia Tortajada 2001).
The issue of dam building is an environment one as the impacts on the environment are high but the reasons for building dams are for economic and social reasons, linked to continual water supply to produce food for a growing population. Particularly during the Industrial Revolution was there an increase in the amount of water required for industry and agriculture (Asit K. Biswas & Cecilia Tortajada 2001).
Controversies during and after the construction of the Dam
Historical
Several major archaeological sites were in danger of being flooded and a rescue operation, contr...
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...pment over any unfavorable environmental consequences.
While Asit K. Biswas & Cecilia Tortajada (2001) argue that the development of the High Aswan Dam was important for Egypt’s national identity after it became independent. The environmental issue that is present with the building of dams was overlooked in the need for a continual water supply to supply Egypts growing population, agriculture and industry.
Works Cited
Abu-Zeid, M.A & El-Shibini, F.Z (1997). Egypt’s High Aswan Dam, International Journal of Water Resources Development, 13:2, 209 – 218.
Asit K. Biswas & Cecilia Tortajada (2001) Development and
Large Dams: A Global Perspective, International Journal of Water Resources
Development, 17:1, 9-21,
Gu, J., Chen, Z. & Salem, A. (2011). Post-Aswan dam sedimentation rate of lagoons of the Nile Delta, Egypt. Environmental Earth Sciences, 64:1807- 1813.
In document B, the chart and document C, the illustration, people had seasons based on the Nile and farming. In document B it states, “ Crops in the lower Nile harvested and sent to market.” So therefore, without the Nile crops wouldn't grow. Also, people used the Nile for transportation. They had a flood season, a growing season, and a harvest season. If the Nile flooded more than 30 feet, it would flood the villages and if it flooded under 25 feet then it wouldn't be enough water. They transported food, tombs, and obelisks on large barges. Not only did the Nile shape Ancient Egypt through economics but also spiritual life.
Based on the events that lead to the devastating floods in Queensland and the eventual case that was brought against the engineers of the dam, there have been views from both sides of the divide as to whether or not the actions taken by the engineers were actually ethical or otherwise. We have explored this avenue and have found that both sides of the divide have good reasons to justify their actions. Firstly, we shall explore the avenue that the engineers decisions were appropriate and ethical. It can be said that the engineers did employ act utilitarianism in their decisions and actions, hence causing these decisions to be ethically correct. Act utilitarianism is essentially doing the right thing, which would benefit the majority of people, based on the situation that is currently taking place. One of the reasons that explains why the actions taken could be considered as ethically fine, was that if the dam was not opened, there would have been no other way to solve the increasing water levels in the dam. If no action was taken, there could have been seriously devastating effects, like the dam wall eroding due to water spilling over the dam wall, thus weakening the structure, or a loss of water flow control. Professor Hubert Chanson, a professor in hydraulic engineering in the University of Queensland, mentioned that the Wivenhoe Dam was actually designed as an embankment dam, hence it should not be overtopped, that is water should not be allowed to flow over the limits of the dam (Andersen 2011). Despite there being a secondary spillway, however it is recommended that spillway is not put to use, as the use of that spillway would mean that there would be a surge of water leaving the dam, and a loss of control of the water flow, w...
The development of cities is essential in the development of a civilization. Egypt’s cities began close to the Nile River. The Nile ran directly through the land and was the main attraction to settlers. It flooded every year, and in doing so, it fertilized the ground and allowed the growth
Do you know the name of the mighty, 4,160-mile-long river that runs through eastern Africa? If you guessed the Nile, then yes, you are correct. But other than setting the record of being the longest natural river in the world, the Nile has been of great importance to the people of Ancient Egypt. In fact, without the Nile River, Ancient Egypt as we know it today would never have existed! Therefore, the Nile River shaped life in Ancient Egypt through economy, religion, and government.
The Egyptian civilization relied on the Nile in many ways. The Nile had annual floods which made the land better for growing food; the Egyptians predicted these floods and used it to create bigger harvest and a surplus of food.
of the Aswan Dam on the Nile River in Egypt. Nasser managed to build this important
July 26 – The President of Egypt Gamal Nasser announces the nationalization of the Suez Canal. This is followed by the refusal of funding the Aswan Dam Project by the United States of America and the Britain. They blamed the state of the Egyptian Economy but many believe that it had more to do with Egypt’s decision to recognize China and buy weapons from Czechoslovakia, which at that time was controlled by the Soviet Union.
Since the 1920's, when the dam was first proposed, the Three Gorges Dam has been a topic for debate in the People's Republic of China. The construction of the world's largest hydro-electric project on the Yangtze River would be a detriment to the native flora and fauna, submerge rich farmlands, destroy archaeological sites, and force the evacuation of millions of people. Faced with international, as well as domestic, criticism about the ecological and social havoc the Three Gorges Dam would cause, the government of China has remained unnerved and has started construction on this highly questionable project. In December of 1995, Chinese Premier Li Peng officially launched the project at a construction site at Sandouping. However, the fight is not over yet since it will take close to twenty years to finish this massive water project.
The dam sparked concerns about negative effects from Egyptian engineers and international scientists. Many of the environmental concerns surrounding the Aswan Dam are consistent with the problems that were discussed in Environmental Management lecture and in the book “The Global Casino.” There were worries about erosion, sediment deposition, and heavy flooding if the rivers floo...
Conscious of the geographical region, Egyptians settled around the Nile, as the Nile provided substance (agriculture, irrigation, trading routes, etc.). The Egyptians noticed that the Nile would flood regularly, and exploited this natural flooding by building an irrigation system to support their agriculture, as well as their society. “Hymn to the Nile” depicts this prosperous age of agriculture, “Lord of the fish, during the inundation, no bird alights on the crops. You create the grain, you bring forth the barley, assuring perpetuity to the temples.” ("Ancient History Sourcebook: Hymn to the Nile, c. 2100 BCE."). However, the Nile might have contributed to the eventual collapse of ancient Old Kingdom Egyptian civilization. The Nile partially destroyed the society that it had once nurtured. A series of low or high floods over the course of a few years immensely impacted their agriculture, which in turn created epidemics of famine and civil unrest. The Egyptian civilization eventually prospered once more, only centuries later and with new social
In Egypt, the Nile River overflowed its banks annually, creating fertile, mineral-rich soil. The yearly rise of the Nile in Egypt was gentle and predictable. The Egyptian’s found security in the Nile’s 365-day cycle of inundation and Egypt’s perimeter of sea and desert
IYER, R.I. (19X9) "Large Dams: The Right Perspective.' Economic and Political Weekly, 14, 107- 116.
Many people have already dammed a small stream using sticks and mud by the time they become adults. Humans have used dams since early civilization, because four-thousand years ago they became aware that floods and droughts affected their well-being and so they began to build dams to protect themselves from these effects.1 The basic principles of dams still apply today as they did before; a dam must prevent water from being passed. Since then, people have been continuing to build and perfect these structures, not knowing the full intensity of their side effects. The hindering effects of dams on humans and their environment heavily outweigh the beneficial ones.
Providing extremely fertile soil is one, if not the most important, roles the Nile River played in the life of the ancient Egyptians. By providing fertile soil, the Nile made it easy for cities and civilizations to grow alongside the banks of the river. This fertile soil comes from the annual flooding of the Nile. This replenishes the top soil with silt deposits that hold much needed nutrients for crops to grow. Ancient Egyptians developed highly complex irrigation methods to maximize the effect of the Nile waters. When the Nile overflows in mid summer, Egyptians divert the waters through the use of canals and dams. As the water seeped into the farm land, rich deposits of silt ensured a good harvest for the year. This allows the civilizations of Egyptians to grow enough food to feed the community. Without the annual flooding of the Nile, Egyptians would have a very difficult time growing necessary amount food to sustain life. Most of the land in the Egyptian nation is dry desert. Very little rain falls year round here. The river provides the needed water to grow the crops as well as provide drinking water for the people. Th...
Located in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia is the second most populated country in Africa. It has the tenth largest land mass in Africa (nearly twice the size of Texas), a population of approximately ninety-one million people (CIA 2013), and a rural to urban population ration of approximately 6 to 1 (Abelti, et al. 2012). Like other nations in sub-Saharan Africa, Ethiopia suffers from many of the same social factors that have deepened inequality across the continent. Poverty is widespread; access to quality education and healthcare is inadequate; modern infrastructure and improved sanitation are inconsistent or non-existent (Abelti, et al. 2012). Other high-risk factors have also been present, such as extended conflicts involving the long term mobilization of armed forces, governmental and political instability, and gender inequality (McInnes 2011). This forced Ethiopia, like many of its African neighbors, to turn to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) for foreign aid and with it, the neoliberal policies and structural adjustment programs that have been so instrumental in deepening inequality in the Global South. Although previous governmental transitions had caused considerable political instability within Ethiopia, the nation possesses a strong central government allowing Ethiopia to resist many of the IMF’s recommendations and seek funding from alternative sources, such as China, to pursue massive infrastructure development within Ethiopia (Giorgis 2013). In this paper, I will discuss the controversy surrounding one of these development projects, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, and how it has shaped – or has been shaped by – inequality.