1. Location:    

The Nile River is concentrated in the North Eastern part of Africa and extends over 10 riparian countries which include: Burundi, Egypt, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. It is approximately 4, 225 miles (6,850 kilometers) in length, making it the longest river in the world. It pulls from three separate waterways: the White Nile, the Blue Nile, and the Atbara before it empties into the Mediterranean Sea (El-Fadel, M., et al., 2003). About 40% of Africa’s population, an estimated 300 million people, lives along the Nile Basin and depend on it for food and water, since it is the main renewable source located in the arid region (Swain, 2002). As a consequence, the Nile is currently experiencing a tragedy of the commons as the surrounding countries compete for control over this immense water source. As each country undergoes a population increase the demand for water gradually rises, which becomes a problem as every country starts to draw greater amounts of water for industrial, agricultural, and domestic use (Swain, 2002). When this occurs, not only does it lead to water scarcity, but environmental issues such as water pollution.

Nunzio, Jack Di. 2013. Photograph. Future Directions International. Conflict on the Nile: The future 

of trans-boundary water disputes over the world's longest river. Photograph. Web. 03 March 2015.

2. Specifics of the Problem:

a.)The countries near the Nile River are experiencing heated debates on how to manage the water flowing from the river. The problem arose decades ago but the issue has not yet been resolved. It started in 1924 when Britain and Egypt signed the Nile Water Agreement, which granted Egypt ownership to most of the water that flows through the Nile River (Hussein 2014). Egypt’s heavy dependence on the Nile’s water, for its economy, has caused problems for the other 10 countries that also rely on the water. As the economy of Egypt flourishes, it creates a burden for the countries that need the Nile’s water for survival. Egypt’s use of the water was not a problem when the agreement was first signed, but as its population and that of the other countries grows so does the need for water resources. For example, Ethiopia’s population has grown so rapidly that its demand for water has doubled (Rahman 2011). Similarly, the demands for water of the countries that are near the Nile River are also increasing. The conflict over water is far from improving and it is predicted that it will continue to
worsen as the population of these countries grows.

Khedr, Reem. "Second Oil Spill
Contaminates Nile River." Caravan.
N.p., 3 Oct. 2010. Photograph. Web.
01 Mar. 2015

b.) Tragedy of Commons

As the owner of the majority of the water, Egypt limits the amount of water that flows to the rest of the countries. The Nile River has been used to meet the demands of Egypt’s economy to the point where less and less water runs to the countries downstream. Much of the Nile's water has been utilized to generate electricity and to support its growing population (Dowling 2014). As a result, Egypt refuses to give up the majority of its ownership over the Nile River.

c.) Egypt’s heavy reliance on the Nile River has limited the amount of water that flows to the other 10 countries that also depend on the water. Furthermore, the concentration of Egyptians along the Nile River has depleted the basin of “essential material resources, causing high rates of unemployment, diseases and hunger in the countries depending on the water resources” (Rahman, 2012). Thus, Egypt’s
extensive use of the Nile River has polluted the
water, causing diseases to spread through the water to the rest of the countries that also rely on the Nile’s waters.


                                                                        

"Improve Water Graph." Improve Water Graph. Photograph. N.p., n.d.Web. 02 Mar. 2015

3. Larger Consequences of the Problem:  

A similar issue regarding water supply is occurring in the Colorado River Basin which flows through Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Northwestern Arizona, as well as between the California and Arizona border before passing through Mexico and flowing into the Gulf of California (Berg et al., 2011). It supports 30 million people, such as those located in the cities of Denver, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Diego (Berg et al., 2011). It also provides vast amounts of water for the irrigation of 3.5 billion acres of farmland. However, as populations increase there is less available water. Because of this, much of the river is used up before it even reaches the Pacific Ocean which is an issue since it makes the river saltier, which in turn negatively affects ecosystems and people situated in the Colorado River delta (Berg et al., 2011).

India is also affected by the lack of fresh water since nearly 8,000 villages lack access to it. China’s major water basin, the Yellow River, is increasingly used for irrigation purposes which causes less water to reach downstream areas. The main aquifer supporting Mexico City is also decreasing, which negatively affected two million Mexicans in 2012 who were left without water (Berg et al., 2011). As a result, this shows that some countries are experiencing a water crisis. As places become more populated, greater strains are placed on earth’s freshwater resources.  This has global consequences since we all need water to survive, since we depend on water for agriculture, industrial production, power generation, as well as domestic use.

Grand Canyon Colorado River. Map. 2005. Photograph. Pearson
Prentice Hall, Inc. Web 03 Mar. 2015

4. Solutions:

a.) The Nile River conflict can be resolved if Egypt shares its ownership over the Nile’s water. The conflict can also be resolved if all of the countries that rely on the Nile can agree on a fair share of the water. Population size and access to other water resources should be considered in future agreements. Unfortunately, this potential solution seems unlikely to occur since Egypt is reluctant to give up its ownership. The Nile River is an essential resource for Egypt’s economy and it will not give up its ownership to benefit other counties.

b.) There have been several treaties and agreements that have been signed since Egypt was granted majority ownership over the Nile River’s water, but it does not seem like the situation will get better.

1924: Nile Water Agreement

-An agreement between Britain, Sudan and Egypt, which granted Egypt ownership to most of the water (Hussein 2014).

1959

-A treaty between Egypt and Sudan gave Egypt 55.5 billion meters cubed and Sudan 18.5 billion meters cubed of water (McGrath, 2014).

1999: Nile Basin Initiative

-An organization between the countries that are located along the Nile River. It attempts to look for sustainable ways to use the Nile River (Nunzio 2015).

2010: “River Nile Basin Co-operative Framework”

-It was created and signed by Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Tanzania. These countries aimed to gain an equal share of water by stripping Egypt form its power over the Nile (Nunzio 2015).

2011

-Burundi was the sixth country to join the organization.

c.) Despite these countries' collaboration to search for sustainable methods in which everyone can benefit from the Nile, it seems unlikely that this will occur. The agreements and treaties have prevented conflicts and wars over water. However, if a compromise is not established, it is predicted that there will eventually be wars over the Nile River's water. The agreements have delayed conflicts but they will not prove successful as the population of these countries continues to grow (Rahman 2011).

"Civil and Environmental Engineering at Illinois." Researcher's Efforts Lead to Better Water Sharing, Food Security in Nile River Basin. Photograph 2011. Web. 03 Mar. 2015

5. Conclusion:

Pamer, Melissa. "California Water-Use Restrictions Begin
as Drought Worsens; 'Lawn Dude' Campaign Unveiled.'    
KTLA. Photograph. N.p., 31 July 2014. Web. 03 Mar. 2015.

a.) The likelihood of this issue being resolved depends on the cooperation of the surrounding Nile Basin countries:  Burundi, Egypt, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda (El-Fadel, M., et al., 2003). If these countries continue to consume the water in the Nile River in an unsustainable way there will not be enough fresh water available to meet the demands of their increasing populations, and the disputes over water rights will continue to increase. However, if these countries make an effort to compromise and regulate the amount of water each country can take out, not only would they be conserving water but they would be avoiding the problem they are facing right now, which is allocating the Nile’s water in a fair way.

b.) Water is unevenly distributed along the Earth. While some countries fight amongst each other for water, others use water without limits. Americans are one of the groups that use the most water on the Earth. Recently, Californians have been forced to limit their use of water because there is a severe drought in this state. Although California is not experiencing an interstate conflict over water, it has had its water resource limited. Like the states along the Nile River, Californians have to devote themselves to find ways that can conserve water for the benefit of all.

Hillyard, Vaughn. "California Drought Exposes Another Political Divide.' NBC News. Photograph.
N.p., 14 Feb. 2014. Web. 03. Mar. 2015

Works Cited

Berg, Linda R., Mary Catherine. Hager, and David M. Hassenzahl. Visualizing Environmental Science. 4^th Ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. 250-57.

“Civil and Environmental at Illinois.” Researcher’s Efforts Lead to Better Water Sharing Food Security in Nile River Basin. Photograph. 2011. Web. 03 Mar. 2015. "Death on the Nile." - Al Jazeera English. N.p., 30 May 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.

Dowling, Mike. "Ancient Egypt: The Gift of the Nile." www.MrDowling.com. N.p., 30 Dec. 2014. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.

El-Fadel, M., El-Sayegh, Y., El-Fadl, K., & Khorbotly, D. "The Nile River Basin: A case study in surface water conflict resolution." Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education 32 (2003): 107-117.

Grand Canyon Colorado River. Map. 2005. Photograph. Pearson Prentice Hall, Inc. Web.

03 Mar. 2015


Hillyard, Vaughn. "California Drought Exposes Another Political Divide." NBC News. 
Photograph N.p., 14 Feb. 2014. Web. 03. Mar. 2015

Hussein, Hassen. "OPINION: Egypt and Ethiopia Spar over the Nile | Al Jazeera America." Egypt and Ethiopia Spar over the Nile. N.p., 6 Feb. 2014. Web. 02 Mar. 2015.

"Improve Water Graph." Improve Water Graph. Photograph. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2015

Khedr, Reem. "Second Oil Spill Contaminates Nile River." Caravan. N.p., 3 Oct. 2010. Photograph. Web. 01 Mar. 2015.

Lamere, Carolyn. Nile Basin at a Turning Point as Political Changes Roil Balance of Power and Competing Demands Proliferate. 2012. Photograph. Egypt. New Security Beat. Web. March 3, 2015.

McGrath, Cam. "Nile River Dam Threatens War Between Egypt and Ethiopia." Common Dreams. Inter Press Service, 22 Mar. 2014. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.

Nunzio, Jack Di. 2013. Photograph. Future Directions International. Conflict on the Nile:

The future of trans-boundary water disputes over the world's longest river. Photograph. Web. 03 Mar. 2015.

Pamer, Melissa. "California Water-Use Restrictions Begin as Drought Worsens; 'Lawn Dude' Campaign Unveiled.' KTLA. Photograph. N.p., 31 July 2014. Web. 03 Mar. 2015. 

Rahman, Majeed A. "The Geopolitics of Water in the Nile River Basin." Global Research. N.p., 24 July 2011. Web. 03 Mar. 2015.

Swain, Ashok. "The nile river basin initiative: Too many cooks, too little broth." SAIS Review 22.2 (2002): 293-308.