Blue Nile
Sudd Swamp
White Nile
Nile
Nile River Basin
Nile River Basin
Basin PopulationBasin Population• Ten Riparian States
– Egypt– Sudan– Ethiopia– Uganda– Rwanda– Tanzania– Kenya– D.R. Congo– Eritrea– Burundi
Egypt22%
Burundi2%
Eritea1%
Congo16%
Ethiopia20%Uganda
7%
Rwanda2%
Tanzania10%
Kenya9%
Sudan11%
Issues in the Nile Basin
Issues in the Nile Basin
Ethiopia•Generates 85% water reaching Egypt’s Aswah
Dam
•Second most populated riparian state
•“The Single most important strategic
interest is striving to attain food security in a chronically famine-prone region…and all scenarios
[involve] more intense use of the western Nile watershed” Waterbury
Sudan•60% of Land Mass in
Basin
•Sudd Swamp – Evap loss of 50% of all Water
in White Nile
•Civil war
•Historically always sided with Egypt in Nile
Issues
Egypt•96% of population live in Nile
Delta/Basin
•Entirely dependent on Nile waters – Only 4% from underground reserves
•Considered the most powerful riparian state in basin
Unique Issues to Nile BasinUnique Issues to Nile Basin
• Historic precedence– Colonial and Egyptian control
• Egypt and Northern Sudan do not contribute to water generation in the Nile
• Majority of the riparian states became independent nations since the 1960’s
• Political and economic basis weak
International AgreementsInternational Agreements
• 1899 Anglo-Egyptian – No water withdrawn upstream of Egypt without Egyptian
and British consent
• 1929 – Egyptian and British Agreement– British represented Kenya, Tanzania and Sudan– 93% water of Nile allocated to Egypt, 7% to Sudan– All upstream projects approved by Egypt
• 1959 – Egypt and Sudan– 75% to Egypt, 25% to Sudan– Rejected by all of the other riparian states when
they became independent
Water Allocation in the BasinWater Allocation in the Basin1959 Allocation
Agreement between Egypt and Sudan
Sudan 25%
Egypt 75%
Riparian States InterestsRiparian States Interests
• Status Quo– Egypt– Uganda
• New Allocations– Ethiopia– Sudan– Eritrea
• Indifferent– Kenya, Tanzania, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi
How do you allocate the water in the Nile?
How do you allocate the water in the Nile?
Beaumont’s Proposal50/50 Historical/Generation
Beaumont’s Proposal50/50 Historical/Generation
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
70000
80000
Egypt Ethiopia Sudan
Mil
lio
n C
ub
ic M
eter
s/Y
ear
Current
Proposed Allotment
Proposed Allocation
Brichier-Colomba (1996) 33% weight to each factorBrichier-Colomba (1996) 33% weight to each factor
Population of Riparian’s country in Basin
Riparian's Area of Basin
Average amount of water used
What factors should be considered for allocations in
the Nile Basin?
What factors should be considered for allocations in
the Nile Basin?
Waterbury’s CriteriaEqual Weighting for each factor
Waterbury’s CriteriaEqual Weighting for each factor
• Ratio of water flowing across a riparian's border to the total discharge of the watercourse
• Proportion of the ripairan's total population living in the basin
• Total amount of irrigable land that could be farmed with watercourse water without extra-basin transfers
• Amount of alternative, utilizable water available in aquifers, regionally appropriate rainfall and stored water (deductions)
• Basin needs per capita to protect life and basic health
• Allocation necessary to protect existing wetlands and ecosystems
What’s Happening in the Basin?
What’s Happening in the Basin?
Recent History of CooperationRecent History of Cooperation• 1992
– Council of Ministers of Water Affairs (Nile-COM)– All riparian states represented
• 1995– Nile River Basin Action Plan– Cooperative framework for management of the Nile– Endorsed by all riparians
• 1997 – World Bank agrees to play a lead role in coordinating external finances
• 1997– Egypt announces (unilaterally) New Nile Valley Development
• 1998 – NBI Shared Vision Plan developed
• 1999 – Nile Basin Initiative formally established
Nile Basin InitiativeNile Basin Initiative
• Goal: – Achieve sustainable socioeconomic development through the
equitable utilization of, and benefit from the common resources
• Objectives:– Develop water resources in a sustainable and equitable way to
ensure prosperity, security and peace for all its people– Ensure efficient water management and optimal use– Ensure cooperation and joint action between states– Target poverty eradication and promote economic integration– Ensure the program results in a move from planning to action
Recent Developments, cont.Recent Developments, cont.
• 2001– Sub-Basin agreements between Egypt, Sudan
and Ethiopia– Agreement to build dams and expand
irrigation within Ethiopia with the plan to sell power to Sudan and Egypt
• Sept. 28, 2005– Largest ever dam to be built in Ethiopia at
Kara Dobe on the Awash River with Sudan and Egypt providing financial support
QuestionsQuestions• How did colonialism influence the development of water
resources in the Nile basin?
• What factors impinge on the reaching agreement among the Nile River Riparian nations?
• Beaumont (2002) proposes a water allocation scheme to fit the “equitable and reasonable” call in the 1997 UN Convention on a 50% generation/50% historical split. Is this is applicable to the Nile River Basin?
• The Nile Basin Initiative did not start with specific water projects, but rather education, development of skilled personnel and inclusiveness of all stakeholders. Will this work?