The
Ground Water Potential of the North African Region
and the Nile Issue
Asmamaw
Temesgen was a native of Lake Tana Region, source
of the Abay River, April 7, 2014.
This
article was designed to provide a brief overview
on the Geo-scientific information and the economic
potential of the enormous natural water reserves
in the North African Region. Focus was made to the
growing water resource demands of the region,
particularly on the “Nile River Saga”. The
writer has a Geo-scientific back ground and aims
to draw more attention to some of the relevant
information about the ground water potential of
the region that has not been covered from the
Egyptian’s standpoint. He also tries to connect
the information gap and aspects that has to be
dealt with, when dealing the Nile Issue.
Furthermore, it is to allow the readers to
understand the importance of a massive water
potential in the North African Region. A map
entitled “Plumbing The Sahara” from “The
Economist Magazine” and “Estimation of
Groundwater Storage in Nubian Aquifer System of
the North Africa” by “UNESCO,
2006” are used as the central themes for the
argument of this article. This piece of writing on
the other hand tries to weight on the current
misguided anxiety over the Great Ethiopian
Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Africa
is rising and transforming in unprecedented scale.
In the year 2013
alone the infrastructural boom in Africa seen an
investment of 322 Mega Projects that cost 222.7
billions of dollars, [3] Ethiopia , as part of the pack, is racing very rapidly in
an extraordinary manner to benefit from its
natural resources and geographical position to be
the Power House of Africa. However,
Egypt, one of the pioneers of civilization,
the
pride of
African History,
a country with a home for more educated people
than any other African or Middle Eastern Countries,
and a
country
that has represented Africa in the world body is not moving
in favor of the
continent’s developmental objectives
and ambitions. During
the present global geopolitical atmosphere, the
only adversary Africa has ever wrestled is
“poverty” not one African country against
another. For decades, the downstream Nile
Basin countries (especially Egypt) have disputed
over the use of the Nile River on the question of
its population growth and scarcity of rain fall.
Nevertheless, other countries located around the
same geographical region, with less annual
rainfall precipitation, or none at all, have used
their natural resources as it should be used and
registered one of the many wonders of the world.
Even other countries, far beyond the horizon, have
flourished by exploiting their natural resources
for their common objectives through bilateral
agreements. An example of a bilateral agreement is
both China and India negotiating the details over
the Brahmaputra Dam and both benefiting from the
resource. These
two countries have billions of people to be
concerned about yet they are putting aside their
differences to take advantage of The Brahmaputra
Dam developmental project. Both countries are
focused on the River Brahmaputra or Yarlung Zangbo
for possible potential developments and the
positive aspects of its use. The reason, China the
upstream country wanted the dam to be built on the
Tibetan stretch of the river to ease the power
shortage for the people in that region. India, the
downstream country agreed that they would make
sure that the flow of the river and the people’s
lives will not be affected by the dam. On the
other hand, in Africa, Ethiopia has done as well
as China and India and has strived to persuade
Egypt that the power source will be built by the
international standards and with all environmental
considerations to benefit all countries in the
region. In spite of the facts, the issue has not
been perceived with the right intentions by some
Egyptian politicians and quite a few irrigation
scientists. And there is also a gratuitous and
relentless diplomatic drift that has misled the
reality. This reminded me of wise philosophical
statement by Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948). He said,
“An error does not become truth by reason of
multiplied propagation, nor does truth become
error because nobody sees it”. Ethiopia has done
its best and should do what it has to do for its
inherent rights. With this perspective in mind,
showing the reality with facts and figures is an
obligation to the scientific community. Although
this is not the sole responsibility of the
Ethiopian local and foreign lesion offices to
respond to the propagation, however all, who are
concerned and share the genuineness are also
diplomats to their
country of their origin and must challenge the
deceit and the relentlessness in their capacity.
Source:
Adapted from The Economist, Plumbing the Sahara.
[4]
Aquifer
Reserves of the Northern Africa:
In
1953, while drilling for oil in the Southern
Libya, workers found huge fresh water sea beneath
the sands. This vast underground ocean is called
“the Nubian Sandston Aquifer System” (NSAS).
It stretches beneath Libya, Egypt, Chad, and The
Sudan (see map above). The water was accumulated
during the last ice ages and the reserve is
estimated to be the equivalent of about 500years
of The Nile River flow and is expected to last for
thousands of years. [1] This Nubian Sand Stone
Aquifer System stretching out beneath the four
African countries is the world’s largest aquifer
system and covers about two million square
kilometers of area with an estimate of 150,000
cubic kilometers of ground water. [2]
Countries
that Benefited from NSAS Massive Resource:
The
economic potential of this water resource for the
region is enormous. It is believed to meet the
growing national demands and developmental
aspirations of many countries in the region for an
indefinite period of time.
However, to the record, only one country
Libya effectively developed this natural resource
for its developmental requirements. The Libyan
mega project is called “The Great Man Made River
of the World”. This project was put into
operation since the 1990’s with the expertise
help from Spain, Italy (Italy also annoyed for
assisting Ethiopia on GERD Project), Germany,
Japan, and South Korea. It supplies about
6,500,000 cubic meters of fresh water a day with
eighty percent allocated for agricultural
activities and the remaining used for municipal
and industrial purposes. This consumption is
virtually equivalent to Egypt’s annual demand of
water and much greater than the net consumption.
Libya, located in the middle of the Sahara Desert
gets about the smallest rainfall in the region.
Not by option, it developed this enormous
underground resource and constructed a 5000 kms of
pipe lines net work from 1000 desert wells. As a
result, it exceeded
the region in hydrological engineering
technology and also acquired the know how it
desires to transfer to other African and
Middle-Eastern countries. Currently, the project
is more or less wholly managed by the local
experts.
Table
1. Estimation of Groundwater Storage in Nubian
Aquifer of North Africa
Source:
UNESCO,
2006. [5]
The
Facts:
There
are no pressing water crises at present in Egypt
but there will be essential needs to be addressed
in the foreseeable future. So Egypt’s irrigation
scientists need scientifically guided and targeted
proper water management and planning. For any
country, the alternative solutions are clear and
vivid. If the country’s water potential is not
addressed properly both in the technological and
scientific terms, attention is diverted in to the
wrong path. The viable and alternative solutions
are obvious and include the following:
1.
The massive underground freshwater sea potential (NSAS)
that stretches for about 331,862 sq km (see map),
with 832 meters aquifer thickness (see Table 1),
storage capacity of 52,299 cubic kms, should not
be disregarded as none option or the third option.
This potential could generate up to 6.5 million
cubic meters of water a day and can meet the
future and immediate demands of water for
generations to come.
2.
Identify the surface and underground water
potentials and reserves of the country. Execute
a national water resource plan, tackle priorities,
and set up short and long term goals.
3.
Advance
and initiate national practice of education on
water conservation and management to the nation.
Focus on water evaporation from the lakes and
modernize the old-fashioned irrigational systems.
4.
A substantial
quantity of The Nile River is wasted due to
uncontrolled pollution by the industries and
municipal outlets. Encourage green technology and
promote water efficiency to help decrease the
amount of water wasted.
5.
Adopt and share technological transfer available
on resource development and management in the
areas of NSAS (Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System),
flowing rivers—The Nile, and waste water
treatment, and desalination from countries with
technological know-how.
6.
Be a real partner in the water issues with the
region. Conduct effective communications and do
scientific and technical conferences with upstream
countries. Address mutual concerns humbly and make
use of the surplus water resources jointly.
To
do this, it needs courage, change of course, and
above all paradigm. Egypt’s intellectual action
is monumental for the long term mutual growth of
the Northern and Sub Saharan African Region. They
can make a difference not only by bridging out
their national issues to work with other countries
but they can also play a constructive and genuine
role in any shortcomings the region needs to
address. For this I pass on my final quote from
Henry Ford, he said “Coming together is
beginning; keeping together is progress; working
together is success”. Let us go for the big
success together as brothers.
Sources:
[1].
Jura, Jaclie, “ www.orwelltoday”.
Online posting 30 Nov. 2010<http://www.orwelltoday.com/librivemanmadegaddafi.shtml>
[2].
Antonelli, Tiana. “Libya: water emerges as
hidden weapon”Goumbook” Online posting.30 May,
2011<http:// www.goummbook.com/Libya-
water-emerges-as hidden weapon.
[3].
Venter, Irma. Creamer Media’s Engineering News.
<www.engineeringnews.co.za/.megaprojects...deloitte.../rep_id:3182?...Cre..>.
Online posting
27 Nov, 2013.
[4].
The Economist Magazine. “Plumbing the Sahara”
Online Magazine. 11 March 2011
<http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/03/libyas_water_supply>
[5].
Omar Salem and Philippe Pallas. “The Nubian
Sandstone Aquifer System (NSAS)” UNESCO, 2006
<http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001385/138581m.pdf>
|