“Adrift on the Nile”:Shifting waterscapes in the Nile River Basin

Ana Elisa Cascão

King’s College of London, UK

CEAUP, Portugal

European Conference on African Studies

Leipzig, Germany

4-7 June 2009

NILE BASIN MAP

• 10 riparian states• 2 sub-basins – Eastern Nile and Equatorial Lakes• 2 sources

• Complex hydrology• Complex hydropolitics

• Old Lakes• New Lakes

• “Dams Race”Lake

Victoria

Lake Tana

OLD LAKES –

VICTORIA AND TANA

• Shrinking water levels• Uneven rainfall patterns• Growing demand• Over-pumping• Overpopulation• Environmental alert!

Lake Victoria Lake Tana

OLD ARTIFICIAL LAKE- Lake Nasser

• 1960s: Aswan High Dam

• Biggest artificial lake in the world

• A footprint in dam construction

THE DAMS RACE WAS

ONLY STARTING!

NEW LAKES – in the desert

• The new pyramids• Greening the desert• Securing water suply

• Dubious environmental, economic, social, hydrological, and political feasibility

MEANWHILE.... UPSTREAM...

SUDAN:

Oil and Water mix

• Petro-yuan!

• 2 new projects• Several planned

• “Hydraulic revolution”

• Trend: disregard for environmental and social

impacts

ETHIOPIA: Exploiting the sources

• Several planned projects• Some mega-dams

• Multiple interests – Politicians, World Bank, consultants,

constructors

• Trend: disregard for environmental and social

impacts

ARE ALL THESE PLANS REALISTIC?

1

2 4

3

5

67

The New China’s Great WallsSUDAN1 Merowe dam2 Roseires dam heightening

ETHIOPIA3 Neshi river hydroelectric dam4 Tekeze hydroelectric dam

UGANDA5 Ayago north and south hydropower

dams

BURUNDI6 Mugere hydropower station

CONGO7 Grand Inga (Inga 3)

Chinese Business: Infrastructures

Favourable contracts

Speedy construction

Environmental Impact Assessement

Environmental international regulations

Human Rights

Good governance

Notification/Consultation

Shifting waterscapes in the Nile River Basin

• Lakes shrinking• New lakes in the

desert• New dams• Future dams• More capital • More interests

Predictable transformation of landscapes and waterscapes