Double-Edged Hydropolitics on the Nile - Center for Security Studies ...

<strong>Double</strong>-<strong>Edged</strong> <strong>Hydropolitics</strong> on the Nile
Domestic opposition to large-scale irrigation developments is raised
along two main lines of argument.
First, the cost-efficiency of irrigation development and the benefits
for the national economy at large and for the poor people in particular are
controversially assessed. These questions are particularly salient in Egypt,
where the expansion of the irrigated areas tends to diminish the water
availability for the small-scale farmers on the ‘old’ lands. In Ethiopia, where
only a small fraction of the river flow is presently utilized, the trade-off
between infrastructure development and household centered approaches
targeting rain-fed production and small-scale irrigation mainly concerns the
allocation of scarce funds. ‘Multi-purpose’ projects combining hydropower
production and irrigation water supply can increase the utility of large-scale
infrastructure development.
Second, infrastructure projects are questioned for their negative impacts
on the environment and the livelihoods of local communities in the project
areas that either have to be resettled or are affected by modified river flow
regimes (e.g., downstream pastoralists or fishermen).
The water ministries in both countries are geared towards the development
of hydraulic infrastructure due to their mandates (i.e., regulation of
water flows, water provision to different sectors), the engineering background
of many staff members, and their organizational structures (influential irrigation
and drainage departments, particularly in Egypt). The position of the
Egyptian water ministry with regard to irrigation expansion is somewhat
ambivalent, however. The development of new irrigation schemes inevitably
results in a reduced water availability for other purposes, which makes it more
difficult for the Egyptian water authorities to fulfill their task of providing
water to all users. Plans for increasing the water storage capacity through
extensive infrastructure development have also been designed in Ethiopia
over the last century. The fact that only a fraction of these projects could be
realized is sometimes blamed on Egypt’s lobbying activities and dissuasive
influence on foreign donors.
Other state agencies also have an interest in irrigation expansion (e.g.,
the ministries of agriculture and trade) or advocate a more critical position
(environmental affairs). The environmental ministries in both countries are
considered to be relatively weak, and only have a marginal influence on the
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