Egypt’s changing view of the Nile
- From: Vol 3, Issue 2 (February 2002)
- Category: General
- Region: Africa
- Country: Egypt
- Related Companies: Azurix and Veolia Environnement (formerly Vivendi Environnement)
Egypt is as important in the development of water resources today as it has always been. One of the oldest water civilisations, with a millennia-old culture based on the power and fertility of the Nile, it was at the forefront of a series of massive post-war water projects. Today, it holds the key to the future of water sector development in much of eastern and central Africa. The importance of the Nile in Egyptian politics, economics and culture is underlined by the fact that 98% of the country’s population live on just 4% of the land – almost exclusively along the narrow Nile Valley and in the Delta.
Through a series of colonial agreements, the Egyptian government has jealously guarded its command of the Nile waters. With a population growing at 2% per annum, such control would seem to be vital to the future of the country. The government estimates that annual demand for water will increase from 66.34 billion m3 in 1997 to 86.74 ...
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