5.4 The Case of the Nile Basin I: the Development of Egypt’s Power in the Nile

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Water Resources Management and Policy

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University of Geneva

Water Resources Management and Policy

329 個評分

Water management today is faced with new challenges such as climate change or the effects of human activity. Public and private stakeholders who are active in this field must develop new ways to better manage the water cycle "as a whole". The objective of this MOOC is to develop an understanding of the problems related to water management. Firstly, this course will define a resource and, more specifically, the resource of water. It will look at how water is used and the activities associated with it as well as any potential conflicts. The course will look at water management in detail through the analysis of the different types of rights and obligations associated with, for example, the development of a multi-sectorial regulation system or a watershed management approach. By the end of this course, our aim is to enable you to: 1) Identify the main issues and strategies linked to water resource management 2) Acquire the key reading material needed to understand the many variables (environmental, institutional and political) which affect water and which, in terms of management, may require adjustment. This course was developed by the Geneva Water Hub. Alongside researchers from the University of Geneva from a range of faculties, researchers from other universities and research centres will be involved in this course. Practitioners who deal daily with the political dimension of water management will also input into the course. This MOOC is designed for all those interested in the water sector. Prior training is not necessary to follow our program. The findings presented in this course can be easily reapplied to different contexts and to different scales of analysis. This MOOC is supported by the Geneva Water Hub and the University of Geneva along with the MOOC in « Ecosystem Services: a Method for Sustainable Development » (www.coursera.org/learn/ecosystem-services) and the one in "International Water Law" (www.coursera.org/learn/droit-eau). This course is funded by the Global Programme Water Initiatives of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). This course is also available in French : www.coursera.org/learn/gestion-eau

從本節課中

Module 5: Water as a Source of Conflict and Cooperation

We have reached the final module. Module 5 is dedicated to the issues of conflict and cooperation associated with water resources. We will present the framework of hydro-hegemony with the aim of understanding transboundary interactions. This will be illustrated with the case of the Nile River Basin. Here we examine the relationship between Egypt (as the country furthest downstream) and the other riparian countries. The various institutional mechanisms for cooperation among states will be detailed. This will include an examination of how international river basins are managed using the Senegal River Development Organisation and the Mekong River Commission as case studies. The role of international water law in cooperation forms the final part of this module. The module is concluded by a quiz worth 20% of the final grade. You must have at least 80% of the responses correct to pass the module. We hope that this course has presented you with some interesting new perspectives and has encouraged you to want to explore the field of water management further. Thank you for participating!

5.2 Water Wars: Debates and Limits7:58

5.3 The Framework of Hydro-Hegemony and Transboundary Interactions9:41

5.4 The Case of the Nile Basin I: the Development of Egypt’s Power in the Nile9:36

5.5 The Case of the Nile Basin II: the Recent Changes Affecting Egypt’s Power in the Nile10:22

5.6 The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: a Source of Conflict or a Basis of Cooperation in the Nile Basin?8:12

與講師見面

Christian Bréthaut
Assistant Professor
Institut des sciences de l'environnement, Université de Genève
Géraldine Pflieger
Professeure associée
Institut de Gouvernance de l'Environnement et de Développement Territorial

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] With the case of the Nile River Basin,

we will look closely at an example which illustrates

perfectly the concept of hydro-hegemony

and the power relations upstream and downstream of a river basin.

The Nile is the longest river in Africa,

its drainage basins represents 10% of the African continent.

It is shared by 11 countries, and its two tributaries, the Blue Nile, which originates

in Ethiopia, and the White Nile, which originates in Rwanda bring a considerable

amount of water to Egypt, which is the country situated downstream.

The White Nile represents 30% of the Nile flow to its estuary,

while the Blue Nile represents 70%.

In this case, we will see that the position of Egypt

downstream, is a hydro-hegemon position provided

primarily by the law, by rights gained historically in the colonial period.

The first treaty to confirm this dominant position of Egypt

is the treaty of 1902.

This treaty prohibits, for example, Ethiopia

which is located upstream, to develop water projects.

It was in 1929 that the Egyptian position is endorsed further

with an agreement that gave Egypt quotas and exclusive

access rights to water resources.

This agreement also allows Egypt to veto

water projects developed by the states further upstream.

Of course, it will be denounced by states such as Uganda and Kenya

who condemn an agreement which encourages an asymmetric position,

of hegemony, on the basis of colonial legitimacy

and not on the basis of regional political negotiations.

And there is a third agreement that endorses the

dominant position of Egypt even more. The 1959 Agreement.

This was negotiated following a brief conflict between Egypt and Sudan.

It endorses the dominant position of Egypt,

and leaves room in Sudan for sharing water resources.

Indeed this agreement states that Egypt is entitled to 58 million cubic meters

of water per year for its own use, and Sudan, 18 million cubic meters.

All other riparian countries upstream,

the nine other riparian countries are not at all affected by this agreement, which,

finally, gives, offers to the two countries

downstream almost all of the water quota of the Nile Basin.

We see the concept of hydro-hegemony.

The downstream countries may be, in some cases, the most powerful.

So I suggest that we now go into more detail on the position of

Egypt, and understand better this dominant position.

Egypt is the regional superpower,

on the technical, economic and military level. As we have seen,

this is a key issue, one of the key dimensions of hydro-hegemony, and this

power relation, begins following the independence of Egypt,

in the 1940s, 1950s, after the war, when it was decided

to create the Aswan High Dam, the technological device,

the large infrastructure, which will allow Egypt to be autonomous in terms of

energy production and therefore its industrial capacity.

The Aswan High Dam was decided in 1948 and it was inaugurated in 1971.

It can store over 169 billion cubic metres

of water that will enable Egypt to develop its agricultural sector

but also to establish its rapid urbanization,

allowing access to clean water.

In contrast, some dams were built upstream in Sudan

under the Egyptian-British protectorate, and they deal with only six

billion cubic metres in contrast with the 169 billion cubic meters

of the great Egyptian infrastructure.

The position and technological superiority of Egypt,

until recently, has been extremely strong.

Egypt benefits from its 55, 58 billion cubic meters linked to its quota,

but it also benefits from six billion cubic meters

that Sudan does not use. This quota was set by the 1959 Agreement

and is now the subject of many questions.

We'll come back to this in the next sequence.

The Egyptian economy is therefore an economy based

on hydraulic development, on the development of hydropower,

with the dam, but also on its water storage capacity

that will benefit the economic development of the country.

The second point which helps to qualify dependence and the

economic exploitation of the resource, is population growth.

As I already mentioned,

there is a rapid rate of urbanization in Egypt.

Even at present, population growth is at two per cent.

This means that it is concentrated in areas such as the

Nile Delta which is dependent on an abundant water resource

for drinking water and for the survival of these urban populations.

Egypt and the Nile Delta are among the most densely populated areas of the

world with growth that will take this urban area,

this conurbation of the Nile Delta, from 80 million to 100 million inhabitants by

2025, and which justifies the ever increasing need for water.

There is a risk of water shortage in the Nile Delta

but across the whole of Egypt we can understand that it

is a matter of concern for the Egyptian state.

Aside from the hydroelectric and industrial,

and the demographic issues just seen,

the third point is agricultural development

which is extremely water-intensive and has been since the 1950s.

The Egyptian agricultural sector accounts for 30% of the workforce.

And it is founded on intensive agricultural developments and especially

on agriculture located in the desert, in agricultural oases

artificially fed

thanks to the creation of channels to irrigate crops.

Again, it's the economic development of Egypt which is at stake,

one of its primary activity sectors.

We can see through these three issues,

demographic, agricultural, industrial and energy, that Egypt depends,

very strongly, on water, for its own development.

So that is all on the question of economic and industrial potential

which make up one dimension of Egyptian hydro-hegemony.

The second dimension is power.

This is built, as I have already mentioned,

it is built, and it is clear that Egypt's position is dominant

in many respects in terms of power, compared with other upstream countries.

Firstly, Egypt has an advantageous position

thanks to international agreements.

As mentioned, the quotas clearly gave a right

to the resource for many years.

For they have no fixed term, a priori, these international agreements.

In terms of authority and power,

the issue of water security is quite central in Egypt.

This will politicize, secure, and make water a strategic issue,

since the Nasser regime post-war.

Here we find three quotes. One from Sadate, who was once

Egyptian president, one from Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who,

prior to being Secretary General of the United Nations,

was the Egyptian foreign minister and a third quote from

Hosni Moubarak before his dismissal. All three can be seen clearly

giving central importance to water, as a potential object of

conflict or as a strategic issue in regards to neighbouring countries.

We examined in depth the case of Egypt, which allows us to see,

and to better understand its hydro-hegemon position.

And its relationship, absolutely vital, securitized, to the Nile resource.

In the next sequence we will focus on the upstream countries

and their strategies and how do they accommodate

this dominant position vis-à-vis the power

and strength of Egypt.

[MUSIC]

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