What are problems caused by the Aswan High Dam?
- The man-made lake is the barrier to communication in the surrounding area since it occupies a large area.
- Construction of Aswan high dam led to the displacement of many people who used to live in the area now covered by Lake Nasser and hence expensive resettlement
- pollution of the environment due to industries set up in the region
What are the disadvantages of the Aswan High Dam?
What are the disadvantages of Aswan Dam? The project forced over 1 million people to be relocated. Access to critical archaeological sites was limited by the project. It changed how sediments flow to the sea. Fertilization issues are now present in Egypt. It encourages coastline erosion around the delta.
How has the Aswan High Dam hurt Egypt?
The Aswan High Dam that was constructed in Egypt between 1960 and 1970 had a significant impact on Egypt and its people. Every year the Nile River would flood several parts of the country and cause unimaginable hardship for many of the country’s inhabitants.
Why is the Aswan Dam so important?
Why is the Aswan High Dam so important? The first Aswan dam provided valuable irrigation during droughts but could not hold back the annual flood of the mighty Nile River. In the 1950s, Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser envisioned building a new dam across the Nile, one large enough to end flooding and bring electric power to every corner of ...
Who funded the building of the Aswan High Dam?
Soviet loans and proceeds from Suez Canal tolls allowed Nasser to begin work on the Aswan High Dam in 1960. Some 57 million cubic yards of earth and rock were used to build the dam, which has a mass 16 times that of the Great Pyramid at Giza. On July 21, 1970, the ambitious project was completed.
Which countries built the Aswan Dam?
Aswan High Dam is a rock-fill dam located at the northern border between Egypt and Sudan. The dam is fed by the River Nile and the reservoir forms Lake Nasser. Construction for the project began in 1960 and was completed in 1968. It was officially inaugurated in 1971.
When was the Aswan High Dam built?
July 21, 1970Aswan High Dam / Opened
Why was the Aswan High Dam built?
The High Dam was constructed between 1960 and 1970. Its aim was to increase the amount of hydroelectric power, regulate the flooding of the Nile and increase agricultural production. The Aswan High Dam is 3,830 metres long, 980 metres wide at the base, 40 metres wide at the crest (the top) and 111 metres tall.
Who built the first dam in Egypt?
Sadd el-Kafara ("Dam of the Infidels") was a masonry embankment dam on Wadi al-Garawi 10 km southeast of Helwan in Helwan Governorate, Egypt. The dam was built in the first half of the third millennium BC by the ancient Egyptians for flood control and is the oldest dam of such size in the world.
Why does Egypt not want the dam to be built?
Today's Nile River issues Egypt, fearing major disruptions to its access to the Nile's waters, originally intended to prevent even the start of the GERD's construction. Indeed, Egypt has called the filling of the dam an existential threat, as it fears the dam will negatively impact the country's water supplies.
Where is the world's largest dam?
The Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in China is the world's biggest hydroelectric facility.
How old is the High Dam?
62Aswan High Dam / Age (c. 1960-1970)
How much did it cost to build the Aswan Dam?
Aswan High Dam, Arabic Al-Sadd al-ʿĀlī, rock-fill dam across the Nile River at Aswān, Egypt, completed in 1970 (and formally inaugurated in January 1971) at a cost of about $1 billion.
Why is Aswan important to Egypt?
Aswan earned its name because it was a strategic gateway to the South. In ancient times, it was the main provider of granite used for obelisks and sculptures. Aswan is known for its beautiful Nile Valley scenery, significant archaeological sites and its peaceful aura.
Do you think Aswan Dam helped hurt Egypt?
The dam benefits Egypt by controlling the annual floods on the Nile and prevents the damage that used to occur along the floodplain. The Aswan High Dam provides about a half of Egypt's power supply and has improved navigation along the river by keeping the water flow consistent.
Why is the Aswan High Dam so important?
The collective benefits of Aswan High Dam (AHD) are increasing the Egyptian water resource, controlling and regulating floods, protecting Egypt from potential frequent droughts, increasing agriculture productivity, and completely regulating the river water.
What was built in Aswan?
Lake Nasser, also called Lake Nubia, reservoir on the Nile River, in Upper Egypt and northern Sudan. It was created by the impounding of the Nile's waters by the Aswan High Dam, which was built in the 1960s and dedicated in 1971.
Why did Ethiopia build a dam?
The primary purpose of the dam is electricity production to relieve Ethiopia's acute energy shortage and for electricity export to neighboring countries.
What did they move to build the Aswan Dam?
“Following the decision to build a new High Dam at Aswan in the early 1960s, the temples were dismantled and relocated in 1968 on the desert plateau 64 meters (about 200 feet) above and 180 meters (600 feet) west of their original site,” writes Robert Morkot in an article in the "Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt" ( ...
Why was the Aswan Low Dam built?
The dam was designed to provide storage of annual floodwater and augment dry season flows to support greater irrigation development and population growth in the lower Nile.
Who built the Aswan Dam?
The Old Aswan Dam (also called Aswan Low Dam), Egypt, designed by Sir William Willcocks.
What is the Aswan High Dam?
Aswan High Dam, Egypt. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. The Aswan High Dam yields enormous benefits to the economy of Egypt. For the first time in history, the annual Nile flood can be controlled by man. The dam impounds the floodwaters, releasing them when needed to maximize their utility on irrigated land, to water hundreds of thousands ...
What is the name of the dam in Egypt?
The Aswan High Dam, Aswān, Egypt, an earthfill dam.
Why is the Nile dam not deposited?
This is because of the dam’s complete control of the Nile’s annual flooding. Much of the flood and its load of rich fertilizing silt is now impounded in reservoirs and canals; the silt is thus no longer deposited by the Nile’s rising waters on farmlands.
How long is the Nile dam?
Once one of the largest dams in the world, it is 7,027 feet (2,142 metres) long and is pierced by 180 sluices that formerly passed the whole Nile flood, with its heavy load of silt. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now.
How long was the Aswan Dam?
A dam was completed at Aswan, 500 miles south of Cairo, in 1902.
How many acres of land did the Aswan Dam cover?
The Aswan High Dam brought the Nile’s devastating floods to an end, reclaimed more than 100,000 acres of desert land for cultivation, and made additional crops possible on some 800,000 other acres.
What was the first dam in Egypt?
A dam was completed at Aswan, 500 miles south of Cairo, in 1902. The first Aswan dam provided valuable irrigation during droughts but could not hold back the annual flood of the mighty Nile River. In the 1950s, Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser envisioned building a new dam across the Nile, one large enough to end flooding and bring electric power to every corner of Egypt. He won United States and British financial backing, but in July 1956 both nations canceled the offer after learning of a secret Egyptian arms agreement with the USSR. In response, Nasser nationalized the British and French-owned Suez Canal, intending to use tolls to pay for his High Dam project. This act precipitated the Suez Canal Crisis, in which Israel, Britain and France attacked Egypt in a joint military operation. The Suez Canal was occupied, but Soviet, U.S., and U.N. forced Israel, Britain and France to withdraw, and the Suez Canal was left in Egyptian hands in 1957.
Why did Nasser nationalize the Suez Canal?
In response, Nasser nationalized the British and French-owned Suez Canal, intending to use tolls to pay for his High Dam project.
Is the Aswan Dam bad for agriculture?
Despite its successes, the Aswan High Dam has produced several negative side effects. Most costly is the gradual decrease in the fertility of agricultural lands in the Nile delta, which used to benefit from the millions of tons of silt deposited annually by the Nile floods.
When was the Aswan Dam built?
Work on the new Aswan Dam project began in 1952, the year that a Republican coup d’état dethroned King Faruq. Nasser rose to power, and was elected President of the Republic in 1956. In 1953, Egypt began diplomatic work on funding construction of this huge project. First the United States, then the United Kingdom agreed to finance dam construction, earmarking respectively 56 and 14 million dollars. This money was supplemented by funds guaranteed by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. All in all, some 270 million dollars was raised.
How does the Aswan Dam affect Egypt?
The giant Aswan Dam covers a significant proportion of Egypt’s electricity needs: originally, it was forecast to cater to 50% of national demand. Today, the dam has 12 generators in operation, and generates annual hydroelectric output of 10,000 gigawatts. However, the barrage’s extensive environmental damage must not be overlooked. The main factor, one that was neither anticipated nor properly calculated for, is silt, which is retained by the weir. Since the dam was built, land has received reduced fertilization from this natural element, triggering a major agricultural crisis and consequent pollution from chemical fertilizers. The dam has also created greater water salinity, leading to the disappearance of many animal species. There is also some evidence of downstream erosion and worsening health problems: Lake Nasser’s irrigation canals and banks make an ideal habitat for Anopheles mosquito, a vector of malaria and other dangerous parasites.
How did Nasser finance the Aswan Dam?
Nasser chose to finance the works by using proceeds from nationalization of the Suez Canal, and by drawing on Soviet funds. The USSR also offered welcome technical assistance.
When was the Aswan Dam built?
Through the history of Egypt, there have been many attempts to construct a dam in Aswan as in the 9th century during the reign of the Fatimid Caliph Al-Hakim Bi-Amr Allah a polymath and engineer by the name of Ibn al-Haytham attempted to regulate the flooding of the Nile by building a dam but was not successful. In 1912 AD, King Farouk ordered a Greek-Egyptian engineer called Adrian Daninos to build the high dam but was not complete. The Great President Gamal Abd El-Nasser ordered to build the High Dam after the revolution in 1952 but he was met with the western refusals from the UK and the US to co-operate and that’s why he turned to the Soviet Union for their technological and financial support. The work started on January 9th, 1960 and it was completed in 1971 in the spring.
What is the significance of the High Dam of Aswan?
It was the new Era’s symbol of the 1952 revolution. It saved Egypt from flooding and provided it with water and electricity.
Why was the High Dam built?
The High Dam was mainly constructed to regulate the flow of the River that resulted in supplying irrigation water for all parts of Egypt for the whole year. It also contributed to increasing tourism by having the chance to navigate across the Nile River during Nile cruise packages. Its water is used to feed 12 power turbines. Let’s divide the impacts of the High Dam into categories:
What is the largest man made lake in the world?
Lake Nasser was the result of the High Dam construction, which is an outstanding lake between Egypt and Sudan. It is one of the largest man-made lakes in the world, build to store water. It sits on an area of 5,250 sq km (2,030 sq mi) and capable of holding up to 132 cubic km (1.73×1011 cu yd) of water. The Egyptian Government made ...
How tall is the Aswan Dam?
Aswan High Dam is 111 m high, the length of 3,830 m (12,570 ft), and Width of 980 m (3,220 ft). It can hold up to 43,000,000 cubic meters (56,000,000 cu yd) of material and has a hydroelectric plant, with six turbines, capable of producing 2.1 million kilowatts and this is the reason why it is considered one of the most important Egyptian sources ...
How did the Great High Dam affect the desert?
The great High Dam helped in the reclamation of the desert that helped a lot in the development of the agricultural process. It changed the soil salinity and waterlogging. It changed the flow in the Nile both upstream and downstream of the dam. It caused sedimentation in the River Nile and Lake Nasser.
Why did the High Dam give the country peace and stability?
The High Dam gave the country peace and stability because of the economic activities and the higher standard of living. It has also benefited in the settlement issues. It provided huge opportunities for youth to raise their social standard up while finding new job offers.
Why is the Aswan Dam eroded?
It encourages coastline erosion around the delta. Because there is more water pressure around the Aswan High Dam at the delta than before when the waters flowed freely, the shoreline in the region experiences higher levels of erosion. At the current rate, the coast erodes by up to 575 feet per year.
How does the Aswan Dam work?
1. It provides a majority of the energy needs of Egypt.#N#During a typical operational year for the Aswan High Dam, about 15% of the total electrical supply available to the country comes through this project. When it first came online, almost half of the available electric power came through the dam. The electricity generated by the dam is environmentally friendly, offers predictable cost structures, and is cost-effective to maintain. At total capacity, the 12 generators with the dam are each rated for 175 MW, which means the facility can produce 2.1 GW of electrical energy.
What were the pros and cons of the Aswan Dam?
Built across the Nile River in Aswan, Egypt between 1960 and 1970, the construction was based on the successes of a lower dam built in the region. The goal was to maximize the utilization of the river while controlling flooding, improving water storage, and encouraging hydroelectricity development.
What are the effects of the Nile dam closure?
Long-term infections may cause bladder cancer, liver damage, and kidney failure. After 15 years of dam closure with the Nile, some issues of this disease have disappeared from upper Egypt altogether. Improved irrigation practices to reduce snail influences have promoted reductions of this disease too. 7.
How much did subsurface drainage systems cost?
To correct this problem, subsurface drainage systems were installed over the course of 30 years at the cost of more than $3 billion.
Is Aswan Dam good or bad?
More algae now grows on the Nile, which increases the cost of drinking water treatments, but irrigation costs are down. More time is needed to determine how effective or ineffective this project will be.
