ELSS - Nile Basin CS Flashcards
How much of the African population does the Nile Basin host?
20%
What are the two tributaries?
-White Nile (Equatorial Plateau of East Africa)
-Blue Nile (Ethiopian Highlands)
Whats the second largest freshwater lake?
Lake Victoria
What are the riparian states of the Nile?
Burundi, DRC, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda
Whats the biggest economic sector?
Agriculture
What can the nile river be used for?
Hydro electrical power
What is the dominant sector in most Nile riparian states?
Agriculture
How much of the renewable water resources do the countries near the Nile use?
Almost 90%
How much do Egypt account for all water withdrawals?
57%
How much does Sudan account for all water withdrawals?
31%
How is the stream flow of the Nile allocated?
-industrial
-domestic
-agricultural
-ecological water supply
How much of the Nile reaches the Mediterranean?
12-14 BCM
What did the 1929 Nile Waters Agreement - Anglo Egyptian Treaty grant?
- Egypt annual water allocation of 48/84 BCM
- Egypt veto power over construction projects to minimise water interference flow downstream
What did 1959 Nile Waters Agreement included?
- Bilateral agreement between Egypt and Sudan
- Increased Egypt water allocation to 55.5 BCM and Sudan to 18.5 BCM
- No allowance for water needs of other states
How much water do the Ethiopian highlands supply?
> 80%
Why has conflict in the Nile Basin arisen?
- Unfair allocation of water resources
- States not allowed to construct along Nile River
Which riparian states said they weren’t party to the agreements made?
- Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia
Who has threatened to go to war against other riparian states?
Egypt
What is the Nile Basin Initiative?
10/11 riparian states signed to enhance cooperation on the use of the common Nile Basin water resources.
What is the Shared Vision Objective?
‘To achieve sustainable socio-economic development through equitable utilisation of and benefit from the common Nile Basin resources’.
What is the highest political decision making body?
Nile Council of Ministers
What framework did NBI develop?
Cooperative Framework Agreement
What did the Cooperative Frame Work Agreement include?
- Concept of equitable water allocation
-Water security
Who did not want to sign the framework agreement?
Egypt and Sudan
What construction was in the process in 2011?
Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam
What agreement was settled to resolve disputes surrounding the plan to construct the Dam in Ethiopia?
Khartoum Declaration
What issue remains unresolved?
How water resources should be allocated between riparian states.
Whose sovereignty could be potentially threatened?
Egypt
Why could Egypt’s sovereignty be threatened?
Ethiopia have the ability to cause significant harm to the quantity and and quality of water flows downstream.
How will the flows downstream of the Nile affected by Ethiopia’s dam?
The speed at which Ethiopia fill the dam will have an impact on the flows.
How big is the reservoir going to be?
74 billion cubic meters
Why is it better for Ethiopia to take a longer time to fill the reservoir?
So the water level doesn’t drop drastically.
How long do Ethiopia want to take to fill the reservoir?
6 years
Whose trying to mediate talks between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia?
US
How could the reduction in river discharge affect Egyptians?
- affect transport
- affect livelihoods of farmers (irrigation)
- Lake Nasser
How much will agricultural production reduce by from a reduction in 1 BCM of water?
430 million USD
How much of Ethiopians population is not connected to the grid?
65%
Who else will benefit from the power generated by the Ethiopian dam?
Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Djibouti
Why does Sudan benefit from the dam?
- The dam will regulate the flow of water
- Usually the country suffers from flooding
Why is it not beneficial to Sudan?
- farmers resorted to using diesel pumps
- farmers who can’t afford pumps lose their job
What arrangements must Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt agree on?
- identification of drought conditions
- a willingness from Egypt to constrain usage during such conditions
- a willingness from Ethiopia to release additional water
What lakes and wetlands minimise seasonal flow variation in the White Nile?
Lake Victoria and Sudd Wetland
How floods limited during the wet season?
High evaporation rates from the Sudd Wetland
What is the largest trasnboundary resource in the Nile Basin region?
Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System
What are RAMSAR sites?
Wetlands of international importance
What is the total capacity of lake Nasser?
168 BCM
How many storage dams along the Nile?
14
Why is it important to protect wetlands?
- Increase surface water storage
- Regulate river discharge during seasons
What size is the Sudd wetland in the wet season?
90,000km^2
How is the Sudd wetland sustained?
- By the flow of the White Nile from Lake Victoria in Uganda
- Rainfall runoff
What type of vegetation does the Sudd wetlands have?
- Swamps, river and rain flooded grasslands
- Floodplain woodlands
How would constructing canals around the Sudd affect flows of water?
- Regulate floods
- Reduce current evaporation
- Release additional water for downstream countries
What do the Nile Basin wetlands do for the surrounding area?
- Protect people from floods
- Reduce droughts
- Control erosion
- Improve water quality and hydrology
- Store carbon
- Irrigation
How are wetlands threatened?
- Pollution
- Siltation
- Conversions into agricultural land
- Climate change
- Deforestation dumping
What is a wetland?
Is an area covered or submerged by surface or groundwater supporting plants and animals.
