The minister of water resources and irrigation briefs Reem Leila on the Kinshasa talks between Egypt and the Nile Basin states Talks in Kinshasa between Egypt and other Nile Basin countries ended on Saturday without any agreement being reached after Egypt refused to sign the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) Framework Convention. Talks are due to resume in Alexandria at the end of July. Egypt had initially conditioned signing on the inclusion of guarantees: that the other signatories explicitly approve Egypt's right to 55.5 billion cubic square metres of water annually; that no projects on the Nile be implemented without Egyptian approval, and that Convention articles be amended only on a unanimous vote. Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation revealed that the final condition had been revised, and that Egypt was willing to accept a majority vote on changing the Convention, but with the proviso the majority included the Nile's mouth countries, effectively giving Egypt a veto. The Egyptian guarantees were rejected. "The NBI was launched in 1998 as a mechanism for regional cooperation among countries sharing the Nile," says Allam. Egypt, he continues, had no problem with Nile Basin countries wanting to build dams to produce electricity "as they do not affect Egypt's quota of the water". Dams for storing water for agricultural use, however, would not meet with Egypt's approval. Allam suggests the creation of a quartet committee comprising Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, and one of the Basin's equatorial countries, charged with drafting an agreement acceptable to all parties. The compromise was rejected. "The NBI seems to be focussed on building trust over mutually agreed projects, even when projects do not translate into rapid growth and development for the populations of the Nile. The NBI's goal to negotiate a legal framework for discussing and establishing development projects has yet to be reached," says Emad Shanab, head of irrigation sector at the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation. The quota system established under the 1959 Nile Treaty allots specific amounts of water to Sudan and Egypt. "These amounts are protected by the international treaties to which everyone is committed," says Shanab. "In the event of any violation it is easy to file a case in front of the International Court of Justice in The Hague." Shanab asserts there are many ways to optimise water usage. "Countries can generate electricity and grow crops where that makes sense. Southern countries could shift sugar and rice cultivation to the highlands where they will be irrigated by rain instead of river water." Only through cooperative efforts, argues Shanab, can countries improve their water efficiency. In Egypt, he points out, the per capita share of water is less than 800 cubic metres per year. As the population rises so the per capita share decreases. Safwat Abdel-Dayem, secretary-general of the Arab Council for Water, notes how the current controversy has its roots in the region's colonial history. The Nile Treaty, concluded in 1929 between Egypt and Great Britain -- which signed on behalf of its East African colonies -- gave full control over the river to Egypt. The 1959 treaty saw Egypt and Sudan divide access to Nile waters by metric volume. "This treaty took place after building the High Dam. All the treaties prohibit Nile Basin countries from diverting the flow of the Nile or building dams that may reduce the volume of water reaching Egypt," says Abdel-Dayem. From its principal source, Lake Victoria, in east-central Africa, the Nile flows for 5,584km, It passes through Uganda, Sudan and Egypt on its way to the Mediterranean. From its furthest source, a mountain stream in Burundi, the river is 6,695km long. Many tributaries feed the Nile on its route to the sea, and the river system and its tributaries drain an area of more than 2.8 million square kilometres. Control of the Nile has long been a source of conflict for countries dependent on its waters. Egypt believes it has historic dominance but eight other countries share the Nile -- Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Despite the failure to reach any agreement in Kinshasa, Egypt has made it clear to everyone that it supports, and will continue to support, discussions, and will assist in any development projects that do not reduce Egypt's quota of water. Much of the concern about the equitable distribution of the Nile stems from growing fears that population growth rates in the area are placing an unbearable strain on existing resources. "We do not have a real problem with our water currently because we use our quota two fold and a half by recycling," says Allam. How long that remains a sustainable proposition, though, is anyone's guess. photo:Mohamed Wassim
