TOWARDS A SOLUTION FOR IRAN’S DRYING WETLANDS
Focus: Lake Uromiyeh and the Hamoun wetlands
16 – 18 March 2014
Tehran, I.R. Iran
Case Study: Trans-boundary Water Resources Management in the Nile basin
Prof. Eelco van Beek
The Nile basin is well-known for the trans-boundary issues between the riparian countries,
in particular between Egypt and the upstream countries. To promote the cooperation
between the riparian countries the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) was established in 1999. The
objective of the NBI is to develop the water resources of the Nile Basin in a sustainable and
equitable way in order to ensure cooperation and joint action between the riparian
countries, seeking win-win gains. The three main components of NBI are to develop a joint
vision on how to manage the basin, to implement development projects (actions on the
ground) and to develop a legal and permanent cooperation framework. These components
are carried out as multi-track activities, with the actions on the ground (investment
programs) playing a major role to have the riparian countries agree on the two other
components (vision, legal framework). The main drivers behind the activities are food and
energy security in combination with social objectives such as providing employment and
income. The main obstacles to reach agreement between the riparian countries are old
agreements between the countries that favour the position of Egypt.
The ecological health of the river system is not a main driver for NBI’s activities but
environmental impacts are certainly being considered as possible negative impacts of any
development that is being proposed. The Sudd wetlands (10-30 million km2) in the middle
reach of the Nile in South Sudan have a very high ecological value. Little is known about
these wetlands due to the social unrest in the region in the last 30 years. Some of the
proposed projects, in particular the Jonglei canal, will impact the size and condition of these
wetlands. A major environmental issue of the Nile in Egypt is also that only a minor fraction
of the original Nile water does actually reach the sea. Nearly all water is withdrawn from the
river, in particular for agricultural purposes. Most of that water evaporates and what
remains as drainage water flows to the coastal lagoons and the sea. This drainage water is
heavily polluted and has serious environmental impacts on the coastal system. Given the
present social challenges in Egypt of finding employment and income for the fast growing
population it is doubtful if Egypt will start considering to take away water from agriculture
and make that water available to improve the ecological situation in the coastal zone.