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A Look into the Historical Depths of the Nile Waters: What to Learn from History

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Nile and Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

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Abstract

The recent events concerning the GERD’s construction lead to retrace the crucial moments in the history of the Nile, inserting them in the dynamics that have shaped the management of the river’s water through the centuries. In the pre-colonial time, the turning point is identified in the Egyptian policy of cotton cultivation and the construction of the Suez Canal. The British conquest of Egypt and the competition among European powers within the Scramble of Africa had a strong impact on the governance of the Nile. The river became an object of hegemonic claim by downstream countries to the detriment of upstream ones, sanctioned by an unfair system of colonial agreements and treaties, which continued until the 1980s. Since the Nineties, efforts of cooperation between the countries of the basin have been carried out, which despite being steps forward are still poorly performative.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Università Degli Studi Di Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy

    Valentina Acquafredda

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  1. Valentina Acquafredda
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Correspondence to Valentina Acquafredda .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Environment, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA

    Assefa M. Melesse

  2. Water and Environment Consulting LLC, Boynton Beach, FL, USA

    Wossenu Abtew

  3. Senior Hydrologist, Dallas, TX, USA

    Semu A. Moges

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Acquafredda, V. (2021). A Look into the Historical Depths of the Nile Waters: What to Learn from History. In: Melesse, A.M., Abtew, W., Moges, S.A. (eds) Nile and Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Springer Geography. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-76437-1_2

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