Governing the Nile River Basin

Anyone who ever paid a modicum of attention in history class knows that the Nile River is like a tree of life. For thousands of years it fertilized an entire nation’s farmland, brought conquering armies through a continent, and dictated the health and economy of a civilization. It is also a contestable entity, because of the efforts to harness its water and power.

This book blames a lot of the troubles with the Nile on colonialism, which it blames on the US versus British economies. When the US was having a Civil War, her cotton exports stalled, so Britain used Egypt as a cotton farm. That drew labor away from the food farms, and made Egypt into a one-cash-crop colony. As for the countries high above the Nile Basin, they were denied any effort by Britain to use the Nile, because that would’ve drawn away from its use in Egypt’s cotton production.

Later chapters go further into the UN rules on international waterways, governing the dams, diversions, pollution, etc. While these rules are meant to govern, they have no enforcement authority, especially when whole economies are at stake. The Aswan Dam, for instance, only had an impact on Egypt, but if the Nile were dammed in Sudan, that would have consequences for Egypt as well. If the lakes north of Egypt were polluted, that would have an effect on Nile water quality.

Perhaps the underlying problem is that Africa, like many developing nations, relies on heavy agriculture and industry, rather than Japanese-style light manufacturing. Rather than learn to farm on minimal water and use solar energy, Egypt built the massive Aswan Dam. The same thing happens all over the rest of Africa, and you end up with lakes that are breeding grounds for deadly pests, or polluted beyond repair.