Copy - River Nile Infographic

The river nile

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

The players

• located in the Benishangul-Gumuz region of Ethiopia, on the Blue Nile River, about 40km east of Sudan
• an expected capacity of 6,000MW

• reservoirs with an impounding capacity of 74 billion cubic metres
• conflict arisen as Egypt labels GERD as an existential threat to water supplies, and claims it goes against 1959 agreement, as they may not now achieve their water share quota, and Sudan's water management and dams may suffer
• recently (July 20th 2021) reached 2nd stage of filling the GERD reservoir
• being funded by Chinese investors investing an estimated $1.8billion of the $4.7billion construction costs

The world's longest river

Sudan and Egypt:

Upstream nations:

Basin contains:

GERD

• Tanzania
• Burundi
• Rwanda
• The Democratic Republic of Congo
• Kenya
• Uganda
• South Sudan
• Ethiopia
• Sudan
• Egypt

Two most powerful downstream states

E.G: Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda

6650

China:

Fishing Communities:

Furthest Source

Invested ~$1.2 billion into the GERD aswell as close ties with Egypt

Kagera River in Burundi

Communities that rely on the fishing industry on the Nile

Kilometres long

Tourism industry:

Farmers:

the tourism industry is vital especially in Egypt, and many people rely on it

Farmers downstream who's communities rely on agriculture

Drains

3349000

Drains into the

Mediterranean Sea

Square Kilometres

Largest width

2.8

kilometres

Made of three principle streams

Blue NileAtbara White Nile

Flows

Northward

Hydrology:

Blue Nile:

Source: https://www.britannica.com/place/Nile-River

70% of Blue Nile flow occurs in just 4 months (July to September). Has a peak mean monthly flow of 4085 BCM (billion cubic metres) in July and a low of 55.23BCM in March

GERD predicted to cause a

25%

Uganda

Tanzania

Graphs from: http://atlas.nilebasin.org/

White Nile:

aim to ratify an agreement that would allow water from the Nile to be used for irrigation

want to protect their vital fishing and agriculture industries

White Nile flow is majorly effected by the 600km backwater curve of the Gebel Aulia Dam. The White Nile is blocked off by the Blue Nile in July-August.

Reduction in Nile flow to Egypt

Ethiopia

Want to begin operation of the GERD

30%

South Sudan

Sudd:

Egypt

are against Ethiopia's dam construction, and want to continue to keep their allocated water

A large swamp in South Sudan, that covers 57,000km squared,which plays an important role in trapping floodwaters and sediment from the White Nile. Water levels fluctuate by up to 1.5 metres in the Sudd based on annual flooding during the wet season. Roughly 55% of water entering the Sudd is lost to evaporation.

plans to build two dams across the river for electricity if allowed by Egypt and Khartoum

Reduction to Aswan High Dam

Nile Waters Agreement

2011

2015

2010

1929

1999

1961

1959

Anglo-Egyptian Treaty: Out of an estimated average annual yield of 84 billion cubic metres of water, Egypt were allocated 48 billion, and Sudan 4billion. Allows Egypt power over construction projects along the Nile and its tributaries

Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda sign the Cooperative Framework Agreement, but Egypt and Sudan denied as it goes against their acquired rights

Foundations are laid by the Ethiopian government to build the GERD. Initiates conflict with Egypt

An agreement finally made between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan. Shows a change in Egypts view towards the use of the Nile - allows Ethiopia to construct the dam

The Nile riparian states signed the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI)

Egypt and Sudan signed an agreement, reinforcing the previous agreement whilst also raising Egypt's allowance by 7.5 billion cubic metres, and Sudan's by 14.5 billion cubic metres. Similarly to the first treaty, it didn't account, or create an allowance, for other riparian states (e.g.Ethiopia, which supplies more than 80% of the Nile's water)

Tanganyika's new leader argued that construction in other riparian states upstream shouldn't shouldn't be at the mercy of Cairo However Egypt aimed to protect these "acquired rights", but many other upstream states supported the idea of a more inclusive agreement

Timeline information source: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2015/04/28/the-limits-of-the-new-nile-agreement/