..] the Nubians cultivated plots along the shore. Those areas are now completely underwater. Many people have left the settlements that were created for them and returned to the lake's edge, trying to recreate their lost culture."
Sadly, because the dam has affected the flow of the Nile, and because the lakeshore is different from the river's edge, their way of life has been permanently changed. Many nomadic Egyptian tribes were also affected. They did not understand the effect the lake would have on their tribal lands, and these changes altered the way they care for their livestock and make their livings. In short, the dam affected people's lives adversely in many areas, and the human cost of the dam has been extremely high.
The dam added 30% to Egypt's usable agricultural land, but it has had an adverse affect on much agriculture in the area. Because the silt is no longer flowing in the Nile below the dam, the Nile Delta area is no longer building up as it did, and agricultural lands along the banks of the Nile are not receiving the life-giving nutrients contained in the silt. Thus, more Egyptian farmers are resorting to using fertilizers and pesticides to control their crops, where they were not necessary before.
In addition, there are serious disagreements about how the water from the Nile and Lake Nasser are distributed as a result of the dam's construction. In 1959, Egypt and the Sudan drafted an agreement concerning water use on the Nile. The agreement concerned use of the Nile's water, runoff, and each country's contribution to the river's flow. A calculation of 84 billion gallons of runoff was allotted to Egypt (55.5 million gallons), and the Sudan, (18.5 billion), while 10 billion were allotted for evaporation and other losses. However, Ethiopia, which is upstream of the Nile and not part of the agreement, contributes about 86% of the runoff water to the Nile, and is demanding a share of the water and the agreement.
This has been an ongoing source of friction in the area, and it has not yet been resolved to the satisfaction of Ethiopia or the other...
It has helped control flooding on the Nile, created major power generation for the area, and solved the problem of drought and famine in the area. However, it obliterated an entire country, has reduced crop yield in some areas, and is difficult and expensive to maintain. In short, the dam may be an engineering marvel, but it has many drawbacks that continue to surface even today. It is a dam that was needed, but the cost has been extremely high, and to many, it has never earned back that investment. The human cost of the dam has been high, and maintenance costs are high, as well. The dam has brought prosperity to certain areas, but some people feel Egypt has paid to high a price for the benefits the dam has given them.
References
Editors. 2000. The Aswan Dam. Denver, CO: University of Colorado at Denver. Available Online at http://carbon.cudenver.edu/stc-link/aswan1/index.html. Accessed 7 May 2007.
Osman, Hassan. Hydro Development in Egypt- Lessons from High Aswan Dam. Dams.org. Available Online at http://www.dams.org/kbase/submissions/showsub.php?rec=opt041Accessed 7 May 2007.
Swain, Ashok. Managing Water Conflict: Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. London: Routledge, 2004.
Water Wars: Fact or Fiction?" Futures (2001): 769.
Ashok Swain, Managing Water Conflict: Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. (London: Routledge, 2004), 97.
Editors. 2000. The Aswan Dam. Denver, CO: University of Colorado at Denver. Available Online at http://carbon.cudenver.edu/stc-link/aswan1/index.html. Accessed 7 May 2007.
Hassan Osman. Hydro Development in Egypt- Lessons from High Aswan Dam. Dams.org. Available Online at http://www.dams.org/kbase/submissions/showsub.php?rec=opt041Accessed 7 May 2007.
Editors.
Managing Water Conflict," 98.
Osman.
Editors.
Osman.
Ashok Swain, "Water Wars: Fact or Fiction?" Futures (2001): 769.
