NBI Strategies and Implications: A Focus on Burundi, Egypt and Ethiopia
Hi! Welcome back! I hope you're all doing great!
The NBI had a key role in terms of 'uniting countries with widely different cultures, economies, water needs, and water resources' (NBI Shared Vision Programme). The project had to recognise that actions that may be beneficial for one country may have different implications for other regions. As Swain (2010) asserts, the threat posed by climate change is one that cannot be ignored, as it is one that will lead to 'further insecurity to the countries in the Nile Basin about their future water demand and supply'.
This week I want to delve further into the Nile Basin Initiative, looking into some of the strategies that have been implemented by the NBI and considering their consequent implications. For this blog post, I will focus on three Nile Basin countries: Burundi, Egypt and Ethiopia.
Burundi
Burundi is the smallest Nile Basin country. Burundi's economy itself is greatly tied to the Nile Basin.
An ever-increasing population, coupled with 'drought and desertification' have been significant factors with regards to water quality becoming worse (NBI Shared Vision Programme) . This is a problem that is becoming exacerbated due to climate change, which is 'making rainfall unpredictable' (NBI Shared Vision Programme).
The Nile Basin Initiative, through its Shared Vision Programme, has aimed to improve water management within the country by educating local communities and introducing community-level projects (NBI Shared Vision Programme) An example of this is the Nile Transboundary Environmental Action Project (NTEAP) introducing a project which encouraged the use of 'efficient cooking stoves' which would mean fewer trees would have to be cut in order to obtain fuel (NBI Shared Vision Programme) Similarly, many projects that have been implemented have aimed towards making agriculture more efficient and sustainable, which in turn can reduce the wastage of water.
In addition to this, the Nile Basin Initiative's goal of cooperation between the Nile Basin nations has been demonstrated by 'irrigation experts from Egypt and Sudan' providing training sessions to local people within Burundi, educating them on how water can be used and managed in a more efficient manner. Furthermore, The Applied Training Project has been responsible for educating and producing graduates in 'Integrated Water Resources Management', and will also be responsible for 'opening faculties for Water Resources Management' within Burundi's universities (NBI Shared Vision Programme) In this case, the Nile Basin countries have cooperated and worked together in order to attempt to improve the management of water within the Nile Basin.
Egypt
Egypt, as discussed in my previous blog post, has an evident history with regards to the management of the Nile. The country is reliant on the river for essentially all of its water, which has led to the Nile Basin Initiative to focus on introducing different ways through which the Nile can be managed to provide a 'win-win' outcome for all (NBI Shared Vision Programme). The majority of Egypt's population lives along the banks of the river, and is heavily reliant on it for both domestic and agricultural use.
Ahmed Fahmy, who is a part of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, asserted that the country's 'water policy is based on three pillars' (NBI Shared Vision Programme):
 |
| Dignitaries pose for a photo at a Nile Basin Development Forum (Nile Basin Initiative, 2017) |
The NBI had a key role in terms of 'uniting countries with widely different cultures, economies, water needs, and water resources' (NBI Shared Vision Programme). The project had to recognise that actions that may be beneficial for one country may have different implications for other regions. As Swain (2010) asserts, the threat posed by climate change is one that cannot be ignored, as it is one that will lead to 'further insecurity to the countries in the Nile Basin about their future water demand and supply'.
This week I want to delve further into the Nile Basin Initiative, looking into some of the strategies that have been implemented by the NBI and considering their consequent implications. For this blog post, I will focus on three Nile Basin countries: Burundi, Egypt and Ethiopia.
Burundi
Burundi is the smallest Nile Basin country. Burundi's economy itself is greatly tied to the Nile Basin.
An ever-increasing population, coupled with 'drought and desertification' have been significant factors with regards to water quality becoming worse (NBI Shared Vision Programme) . This is a problem that is becoming exacerbated due to climate change, which is 'making rainfall unpredictable' (NBI Shared Vision Programme).
The Nile Basin Initiative, through its Shared Vision Programme, has aimed to improve water management within the country by educating local communities and introducing community-level projects (NBI Shared Vision Programme) An example of this is the Nile Transboundary Environmental Action Project (NTEAP) introducing a project which encouraged the use of 'efficient cooking stoves' which would mean fewer trees would have to be cut in order to obtain fuel (NBI Shared Vision Programme) Similarly, many projects that have been implemented have aimed towards making agriculture more efficient and sustainable, which in turn can reduce the wastage of water.
In addition to this, the Nile Basin Initiative's goal of cooperation between the Nile Basin nations has been demonstrated by 'irrigation experts from Egypt and Sudan' providing training sessions to local people within Burundi, educating them on how water can be used and managed in a more efficient manner. Furthermore, The Applied Training Project has been responsible for educating and producing graduates in 'Integrated Water Resources Management', and will also be responsible for 'opening faculties for Water Resources Management' within Burundi's universities (NBI Shared Vision Programme) In this case, the Nile Basin countries have cooperated and worked together in order to attempt to improve the management of water within the Nile Basin.
Egypt
Egypt, as discussed in my previous blog post, has an evident history with regards to the management of the Nile. The country is reliant on the river for essentially all of its water, which has led to the Nile Basin Initiative to focus on introducing different ways through which the Nile can be managed to provide a 'win-win' outcome for all (NBI Shared Vision Programme). The majority of Egypt's population lives along the banks of the river, and is heavily reliant on it for both domestic and agricultural use.
Ahmed Fahmy, who is a part of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, asserted that the country's 'water policy is based on three pillars' (NBI Shared Vision Programme):
- 'Efficient use of water
- Removal of pollution
- Cooperation with the other Nile Basin countries'
The country currently uses approximately 10 billion cubic meters of water less than it actually requires annually, which demonstrates how Egypt has been attempting to conserve water and be more efficient with their use of water (NBI Shared Vision Programme) By recycling water, the country is able to be far more efficient, meaning less water is going to waste.
Since the introduction of the NBI, Egypt has had a significant rise in the number of skilled workers which are able to provide their expertise with regards to water issues (NBI Shared Vision Programme). With the help of the Shared Vision Programme, over 10, 000 people have received training in 'Integrated Water Resources Management' (NBI Shared Vision Programme). Through this programme, local people have become much more aware about the benefits of cooperation, as well as the importance of managing water resources.
Ethiopia
The 'Blue Nile', which is amongst the major tributaries of the Nile, has its source in Ethiopia. The tributary is responsible for contributing to over 80% of the Nile's water (NBI Shared Vision Programme). It is significantly important to the population of Ethiopia, who rely on this source of water for their everyday life. Ethiopia's population is growing faster than Egypt's, 'establishing an equally compelling need for water for increased food production' (The Conversation, 2017; Brunnee and Toope, 2002). Previous to the introduction of the NBI, there were few people with an education in water resource management, irrigation 'was inefficient' and an increasing population meant that there was a strain on water resources - the Shared Vision Programme has focussed on addressing some of these issues whilst making local people realise that 'the Nile water is commonly owned' (NBI Shared Vision Programme).
One manner through which there has been an attempt to raise awareness of water issues has been through the 'Confidence Building and Stakeholder Involvement (CBSI) project', which has aimed to 'create active networks of women, teachers and the media' in order to make Ethiopians more aware of their actions (NBI Shared Vision Programme). Brunnee and Toope (2002:128) assert, 'there is simply not enough water in the Nile to complete the irrigation plans of Ethiopia and Egypt, much less to satisfy the ambitions of all the Nile riparians'. Attitudes are now changing and Ethiopians are recognising the importance the Nile has for both their country as well as the rest of the Nile Basin nations, whereas previously this awareness surrounding water resources wasn't so apparent. The Shared Vision Programme have introduced a variety of activities, ranging from projects based on local communities to workshops, in order to make Ethiopians aware of ways in which they can be more efficient with their use of water, with a focus on their approaches to farming (NBI Shared Vision Programme).
Closing Thoughts
Of course, this blog post has only focussed on three particular Nile Basin countries and the actions that have been implemented by the NBI, but it is important to consider that the same actions may not be beneficial for each country. What is apparent, however, is that the cooperative approach with regards to the management of the Nile has led to a recognition that the Nile Basin countries working in tandem can lead to positive implications for these nations. These countries barely communicated in the past whereas now, there is an evident attempt by these same countries to work towards a brighter future with regards to the management of the Nile Waters (Research to action, 2015).
For my next blog post, I plan to look at Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam, delving further into the topic of water politics and discussing as to why there have been significant issues that have arisen in recent times.
Comments
Post a Comment