Water Wars

On August 2nd 2006, Reuters published an article entitled 'Where Are the World's Looming Water Conflicts?' Five areas are discussed and I have chosen the one I found most interesting. Here is the excerpt on Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia via the Environmental News Network.

- The Nile, the world's longest river, is the main source of water for nine countries in the Nile basin: Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Congo.

- Eygpt and Sudan's 1929 Nile Waters Agreement, which divided up water use, is now being challenged.

- Ethiopia, where some 80 percent of the Nile's waters originate, said last year that it wants to take more water. It accuses Egypt of blocking overseas aid for irrigation projects. Egypt says calls for change amount to a "declaration of war".

- In July 2006 a Nile Water steering committee met to discuss Ugandan and Tanzanian plans to use Nile waters in massive hydro-electric power stations and irrigation projects.

These countries have some of the fastest growing populations in the world. Their economies have many glitches, but assuming that at some point in the future they figure them out, Egypt's in trouble. As industrialization becomes more prevalent, the longest river in the world will likely become unsustainably consumed. How will Egypt respond to more polluted and less diluted water?