As water needs increase, so does tension in the Nile Basin states
A aerial view of the River Nile in Cairo. Picture: AFP/Marwan Naamani
A report that Egypt will need water supply totalling 86 billion cubic metres by 2017 if the country has to meet its fast-rising demand is causing heightened anxiety among the upstream countries of the River Nile. This has clearly indicated that Egypt’s fear over the equitable sharing of the Nile waters is close to desperation.
Meanwhile, academics meeting in Nairobi sent a strong message to the riparian states to come up with a negotiated guide to the use of the waters of the River Nile.
