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WATER DIPLOMACYThe Nile Basin Initiative: advancing transboundarycooperation and supporting riparian communitiesAbdulkarim H. Seid, Wubalem Fekade, Emmanuel Olet, Nile Basin InitiativeTraversing a distance of 35 degrees latitude from the equatorialregion of Africa in the south to the MediterraneanSea in the north, the Nile is one of the world’s longestrivers. It is shared by 11 African countries and is a source oflivelihood for over 200 million people. The Nile drains an areaof 3.2 million square kilometres – about 10 per cent of Africa.The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) 2012 State of the Nile River Basinreport subdivides the basin into 16 eco-regions. These feature largerivers, waterfalls, lakes, wetlands, floodplains, forests, savannahs,montane ecosystems, and arid and hyper-arid lands. One of theworld’s largest freshwater wetlands, the Sudd, and the world’s secondlargest inland lake, Lake Victoria, are prominent features of the basin.The Nile Basin eco-regionsThe Nile Basin hosts some of the world’s largest congregationsof large mammals and flocks of migratory birdsfrom Eurasia and other regions of Africa.The Nile Basin is a relatively water-scarce region. Theaverage annual flow at its entrance to Egypt is about2,660 m 3 /s – about 6 per cent that of the Congo Riverat Inga. Most of the stream flow is generated from lessthan a third of the basin. The basin is prone to seasonaland inter-annual variability. Water resources developmentis needed at the upstream part (comprising sevenof the 11 riparian countries) where nearly all river flowis generated is at its infancy. The downstream part(comprising two riparian countries), is almost entirelydependent on upstream flow and has relatively betterdeveloped water infrastructure and institutions.The Nile Basin has hosted some of the oldest civilizationsof mankind. That notwithstanding, currently theNile River and its associated ecosystems – the resourcebases – are facing a number of threats. In the upperreaches the watersheds are undergoing continued andaccelerating degradation. From the Ethiopian catchmentsalone where over 86 per cent of the river flow originates,Tana-Beles integrated watershed managementproject – EthiopiaSource: NBI State of the Basin report, 2012The Eastern Nile watershed management project hasbuilt a regional knowledge base which has been used toprepare fast-track projects worth about US$80 million.One of these projects, in the upper Blue Nile inEthiopia, has scored impressive results in naturalresources management, improving the livelihoods of thelocal community, and capacity development.Examples include the preparation and implementationof 163 community watershed plans; treatment of 821ha of gully; rehabilitation of 16,000 ha of degradedhillside; development of 4,000 ha of community woodlotforestry; and 1,000 ha of small-scale irrigation in 14schemes. In addition, 85 km of community accessroads and a number of footbridges were constructed toimprove market access; and 35 farmer training centreswere established – with about 700 farmers trained onimproved cereal, fruit tree cropping, vegetable gardeningand marketing. The project also established 13 animalhealth posts; supplied 735 modern beehives and163 pieces of apiculture equipment; and established432 community water points and three village waterschemes. The project is among the NBI achievementsshowcased during the 2013 Nile Day celebrations.[ 35 ]