River Nile
The Nile is generally regarded as the longest river in the World - it is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa.
Issue/Cause
The Nile ’s water has affected the politics of East Africa or many decades - countries like Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia have complained about Egyptian domination of its water resources. Several attempts have been made to establish agreements between countries sharing the Nile waters. It is difficult for these countries to all agree with each other because of the many differences they hold. In May 2010, many countries signed a new agreement on sharing the Nile water - this raised strong opposition among Egypt and Sudan. More conflicts could be prone to occuring as understanding about the availability of future water in the Nile is patchy - many countries near to the Nile rely on this for their water supply and their own development.
Climate change is a huge threat to the River Nile purely because so many rely on it as a constant resource. Changes in availability of water due to evaporation will lead to tensions between countries and may lead to over extraction, and fishing and management problems. Climate change will also have a large impact of fish farming. Conflicts in the Nile can sprout from anywhere - eg Egypt is an agriculturally dependent economy, it is also already dependent on virtual water imports, a strategy which may lead that country to attempt future water conflicts. Over the years, the involved states have put agreements and treaties into place so that conflict can be controlled.
Effects
Social - People will be affected if conflict occurs over who has the water supply - people are at risk of not getting a reliable and stable water supply if other countries use the water.
Environmental - Misuse and overuse of the Nile leads to supply being depleted and the water taking a long time to replenish.
Economic -
Solutions
Various treaties and policies have been set up to try to manage and control the Nile Basin’s water use. The effect of these is that Britain effectively controlled the Nile through its military presence. Also, agreements made in 1959 between Sudan and Egypt allocated water annual flow to the shared between the countries, allowing for better distribution of the supply.
Players
Countries surrounding the Nile river (Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan and Egypt) Governments, water supply companies, regulators.
Issue/Cause
The Nile ’s water has affected the politics of East Africa or many decades - countries like Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia have complained about Egyptian domination of its water resources. Several attempts have been made to establish agreements between countries sharing the Nile waters. It is difficult for these countries to all agree with each other because of the many differences they hold. In May 2010, many countries signed a new agreement on sharing the Nile water - this raised strong opposition among Egypt and Sudan. More conflicts could be prone to occuring as understanding about the availability of future water in the Nile is patchy - many countries near to the Nile rely on this for their water supply and their own development.
Climate change is a huge threat to the River Nile purely because so many rely on it as a constant resource. Changes in availability of water due to evaporation will lead to tensions between countries and may lead to over extraction, and fishing and management problems. Climate change will also have a large impact of fish farming. Conflicts in the Nile can sprout from anywhere - eg Egypt is an agriculturally dependent economy, it is also already dependent on virtual water imports, a strategy which may lead that country to attempt future water conflicts. Over the years, the involved states have put agreements and treaties into place so that conflict can be controlled.
Effects
Social - People will be affected if conflict occurs over who has the water supply - people are at risk of not getting a reliable and stable water supply if other countries use the water.
Environmental - Misuse and overuse of the Nile leads to supply being depleted and the water taking a long time to replenish.
Economic -
Solutions
Various treaties and policies have been set up to try to manage and control the Nile Basin’s water use. The effect of these is that Britain effectively controlled the Nile through its military presence. Also, agreements made in 1959 between Sudan and Egypt allocated water annual flow to the shared between the countries, allowing for better distribution of the supply.
Players
Countries surrounding the Nile river (Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Sudan and Egypt) Governments, water supply companies, regulators.