An Introduction to the Hydropolitics of the Nile basin

 

 Welcome to this introductory post of my blog series exploring the complex hydropolitics of the Nile Basin in Eastern Africa. The river Nile spans across 10 different countries, with its basin covering 10% of Africa's land mass. Despite the differences in their economic and political states, all of these countries share the same concern of a growing demand for water and energy supply (World Bank, 2019). Throughout history, the region's economic, social and political development has been affected by water, with today's political climate testament to this (Jägerskog et al., 2019). In 2015, the United Nations released their 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the sixth one being 'ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all' (United Nations, 2023), but as urban populations continue to rise the 2030 target to have reached this goal is looking increasingly unattainable (Thompson et al., 2000).

 
Figure 1

 In the following blog posts I will be discussing why an efficient and sustainable management of water resources within the region is vital to achieve constant growth and how efforts to combat scarcity have created a heated political environment, with hydropolitics becoming 'a central interlinkage element between the countries that comprise the region' (Jägerskog et al., 2019). 

This region that I will be exploring embraces a variety of geographies, landscapes, cultures, religions and beliefs, none of which I have seen or experienced in person. When picturing the region in your head, do you picture individual nations or one large tribe? Do you see poverty and famine or exotic natural landscapes (Wainaina, 2005)? It is easy to generalise about this region and Africa as a whole but in reality the Nile Basin is the home of over 200 million people, all of whom have differing experiences with water supply and management. Therefore in the following posts, I will aim to share a variety of perspectives from different voices within the region to develop a cohesive picture of the region. 

 I will be focusing my next post on the current hydropolitics between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan created by the development of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The short video available by clicking 'Figure 2' below is a small introduction to the GERD case study and how its management significantly impacts Egypt and Sudan's water supply. 

Figure 2










Comments

  1. Bejna DoldurNovember 28, 2023 at 10:49 AM

    Hey very interesting blog post! I would recommend reading https://journals.co.za/doi/abs/10.10520/EJC133155 this article which gives a good overview of hydropolitics in the context of an African country!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sukhi SandhuNovember 30, 2023 at 3:33 PM

    Hi! Really nice first post that sets the scene well; looking forward to the next entry! What made you choose the Nile Basin in particular as the focus for your blog?


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KrishanJanuary 8, 2024 at 12:41 PM

      I was drawn to this region of Africa and the hydropolitics between Egypt and Ethiopia in particular due to the current nature of the affairs and therefore the relevancy of the situation.

      Delete
  3. AkshayaDecember 11, 2023 at 8:14 AM

    Great kickoff to your blog series! The Nile Basin's complexity and the interplay of water, energy, and politics really come to life. The link between regional challenges and global sustainability goals adds a nice touch of context. Excited to follow your exploration of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam!

    ReplyDelete

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