“Adrift on the Nile”:
Shifting waterscapes in the Nile River Basin
European Conference on African Studies Ana Elisa Cascão
Leipzig, Germany King’s College of London, UK
4-7 June 2009 CEAUP, Portugal

NILE BASIN MAP
• 10 riparian states
• 2 sub-basins –
Eastern Nile and
Equatorial Lakes
• 2 sources
Lake
• Complex hydrology
Tana
• Complex hydropolitics
• Old Lakes
• New Lakes
Lake
Victoria
• “Dams Race”

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?

The New China’s Great Walls
SUDAN
1 Merowe dam
2 Roseires dam heightening
ETHIOPIA
3 Neshi river hydroelectric dam
4 Tekeze hydroelectric dam
UGANDA
1 5 Ayago north and south hydropower
dams
BURUNDI
6 Mugere hydropower station
CONGO
4 7 Grand Inga (Inga 3)
2
3 Chinese Business:
Infrastructures
Favourable contracts
Speedy construction
Environmental Impact Assessement
5 Environmental international regulations
Human Rights
Good governance
 Notification/Consultation
6
7

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