Wading through the politics
Reem Leila reports on the increasingly heated discussions surrounding
access to Nile water
15 July, 2009 | By Reem Leila
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
without an explicit approval by other signatories of Egypt's historic
right to 55.5 billion cubic metres of Nile Water and without Cairo
effectively being given a veto over any projects implemented upstream.
The Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources has already pre-empted
discussions, announcing ahead of the conference that attempts to form
a Nile commission without the participation of both Egypt and Sudan
would carry no economic, social or security benefit.
Ahmed Abul-Wafa, professor of international law, argues that access to
Nile water is based upon several clear principles, among them that the
share of any country be commensurate with its population size and the
extent of its agricultural lands. Nor should any of the Nile Basin
countries act unilaterally, in a manner that harms its neighbours. Yet
how such principles are to be enforced remains unclear.
"Should political and diplomatic negotiations and international arbitration
fail, a situation could arise in which the only remaining option will be
the use of military force," said Abul-Wafa, echoing an earlier statement
by former secretary-general of the UN Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who
once predicted that "the next war in our region will be over the waters
of the Nile, not politics."
Ibrahim Nasreddin, of Cairo University's Institute for African Studies,
views such predictions as unnecessarily alarmist.
"The Nile can provide water for all of the countries that depend on it.
The rhetoric surrounding the issues has been manufactured by other
countries to achieve political goals. They want Egypt to step away from
the conflict taking place between Somalia and Eritrea, and to pressure
Cairo into withholding support for any southern Sudanese groups," says
Nasreddin.
In the past only Egypt and Sudan had a fixed share of Nile water. Other
Nile Basin countries received enough rainfall each year to cover their
agricultural needs. Egypt's share of Nile water is confirmed by several
international agreements signed between Egypt and both Britain and
Italy on behalf of their former colonies. The last agreement was signed
in 1959 between Egypt and Sudan.
Until 1959 Egypt received 48 billion cubic metres of water. After the
1959 agreement Egypt's share was increased to 55.5 billion cubic
metres. Sudan receives 14.5 billion cubic metres.
Egypt and Sudan's combined share comprises just six to eight per cent
of total rainfall over the Nile Basin. Much of the rest of the water is
lost, some through evapotranspiration, yet more by seeping into the
ground creating ground water.
"What we use, then, is very little when compared to the potential. Yet to
tap this potential there must be far better management of the water,
particularly around the equatorial lakes where water losses are huge.
Weeds consume more than is lost through natural evaporation," says
Abul-Wafa.
Projects such as the Gongli Canal were designed to combat such water
loss. Yet though there is a general consensus over the importance of
managing water resources, political problems have hampered the
process.
"Egypt and Sudan agreed to construct the Gongli Canal to circumvent
swamps in the southern part of the White Nile. The first phase of the
project would have produced an extra two billion cubic metres for each
country. Unfortunately, because of the war in southern Sudan, work is
at a standstill," adds Abul- Wafa.
Water experts point out that source countries can do little to reduce
Egypt's share of Nile waters.
"If they could they would have done it a long time ago," says
Nasreddin. "The River Nile flows towards the north. The depth of the
Nile's route in source countries, especially in Ethiopia, is 500 metres. It
would be impossible to build anything similar to the High Dam in only
10 months, yet that is what would have to happen if the construction is
not to be washed away by the annual flood."
"The Nile Basin countries are developing, and of course they want to
irrigate their lands. But decisions over what to be done cannot be made
by one country. From now on there must be consultation and mutual
agreement," stresses Nasreddin.
He also points out that Egypt will eventually need to increase its quota.
"A burgeoning population has seen Egypt's per capita share of potable
water fall to 760 cubic metres, compared to 2000 in the Nile's source
countries. Officials must start talking, and the details will come later.
They should focus on joint projects similar to Gongli. The most
important principal, though, is that the Nile is for all countries."
Nasreddin, along with other experts, worries that international pressure
on source countries to consider water an asset that like oil can be
bought and sold, will skew the current equation. There have, he says,
been suggestions that Egypt should buy its annual share for LE27
billion, and Sudan for LE14 billion.
"Cairo has refused such demands but could be pressured by the World
Bank reducing its donations to Egypt," says Nasreddin. Within such a
context, he argues that it is essential to put an end to any local requests
demanding the government charge farmers for the water they use.
"To implement any such scheme would give a green light to those
countries seeking to charge Egypt for Nile water," he argues.
Courtesy
Reem Leila reports on the increasingly heated discussions surrounding
access to Nile water
15 July, 2009 | By Reem Leila
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- The failure of last month's talks in
Kinshasa between Egypt and other
Nile Basin countries to reach
agreement over the Nile Basin
Initiative Framework Convention
places greater onus on negotiators to
conclude a settlement when they
reconvene in Alexandria on 27 July
for a two-day conference.
without an explicit approval by other signatories of Egypt's historic
right to 55.5 billion cubic metres of Nile Water and without Cairo
effectively being given a veto over any projects implemented upstream.
The Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources has already pre-empted
discussions, announcing ahead of the conference that attempts to form
a Nile commission without the participation of both Egypt and Sudan
would carry no economic, social or security benefit.
Ahmed Abul-Wafa, professor of international law, argues that access to
Nile water is based upon several clear principles, among them that the
share of any country be commensurate with its population size and the
extent of its agricultural lands. Nor should any of the Nile Basin
countries act unilaterally, in a manner that harms its neighbours. Yet
how such principles are to be enforced remains unclear.
"Should political and diplomatic negotiations and international arbitration
fail, a situation could arise in which the only remaining option will be
the use of military force," said Abul-Wafa, echoing an earlier statement
by former secretary-general of the UN Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who
once predicted that "the next war in our region will be over the waters
of the Nile, not politics."
Ibrahim Nasreddin, of Cairo University's Institute for African Studies,
views such predictions as unnecessarily alarmist.
"The Nile can provide water for all of the countries that depend on it.
The rhetoric surrounding the issues has been manufactured by other
countries to achieve political goals. They want Egypt to step away from
the conflict taking place between Somalia and Eritrea, and to pressure
Cairo into withholding support for any southern Sudanese groups," says
Nasreddin.
In the past only Egypt and Sudan had a fixed share of Nile water. Other
Nile Basin countries received enough rainfall each year to cover their
agricultural needs. Egypt's share of Nile water is confirmed by several
international agreements signed between Egypt and both Britain and
Italy on behalf of their former colonies. The last agreement was signed
in 1959 between Egypt and Sudan.
Until 1959 Egypt received 48 billion cubic metres of water. After the
1959 agreement Egypt's share was increased to 55.5 billion cubic
metres. Sudan receives 14.5 billion cubic metres.
Egypt and Sudan's combined share comprises just six to eight per cent
of total rainfall over the Nile Basin. Much of the rest of the water is
lost, some through evapotranspiration, yet more by seeping into the
ground creating ground water.
"What we use, then, is very little when compared to the potential. Yet to
tap this potential there must be far better management of the water,
particularly around the equatorial lakes where water losses are huge.
Weeds consume more than is lost through natural evaporation," says
Abul-Wafa.
Projects such as the Gongli Canal were designed to combat such water
loss. Yet though there is a general consensus over the importance of
managing water resources, political problems have hampered the
process.
"Egypt and Sudan agreed to construct the Gongli Canal to circumvent
swamps in the southern part of the White Nile. The first phase of the
project would have produced an extra two billion cubic metres for each
country. Unfortunately, because of the war in southern Sudan, work is
at a standstill," adds Abul- Wafa.
Water experts point out that source countries can do little to reduce
Egypt's share of Nile waters.
"If they could they would have done it a long time ago," says
Nasreddin. "The River Nile flows towards the north. The depth of the
Nile's route in source countries, especially in Ethiopia, is 500 metres. It
would be impossible to build anything similar to the High Dam in only
10 months, yet that is what would have to happen if the construction is
not to be washed away by the annual flood."
"The Nile Basin countries are developing, and of course they want to
irrigate their lands. But decisions over what to be done cannot be made
by one country. From now on there must be consultation and mutual
agreement," stresses Nasreddin.
He also points out that Egypt will eventually need to increase its quota.
"A burgeoning population has seen Egypt's per capita share of potable
water fall to 760 cubic metres, compared to 2000 in the Nile's source
countries. Officials must start talking, and the details will come later.
They should focus on joint projects similar to Gongli. The most
important principal, though, is that the Nile is for all countries."
Nasreddin, along with other experts, worries that international pressure
on source countries to consider water an asset that like oil can be
bought and sold, will skew the current equation. There have, he says,
been suggestions that Egypt should buy its annual share for LE27
billion, and Sudan for LE14 billion.
"Cairo has refused such demands but could be pressured by the World
Bank reducing its donations to Egypt," says Nasreddin. Within such a
context, he argues that it is essential to put an end to any local requests
demanding the government charge farmers for the water they use.
"To implement any such scheme would give a green light to those
countries seeking to charge Egypt for Nile water," he argues.
Courtesy
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