William StarEng101/LisiMay 15, 2006Benefits and Consequences of the Aswan High DamAbstractNearly every text on Egypt includes, in one form or another, a quote from the ancient Greek historian Herodotus who wrote that the country is “a gift of the Nile.” The river’s annual floods fertilized and watered the soil along its banks allowing successful farming, ranching, and shepherding. But the river’s inundation could be a bane as well as a boon. High flooding would destroy villages and take lives. Low flooding would yield crop shortages and lead to famine. From antiquity to the modern era, Egypt’s rulers have dreamed of controlling the Nile. The Pharaohs built canals, barrages, and dams with limited success. Late in the 19th century, British engineers built the first Aswan Dam, then raised it twice early in the 20th century. Insufficient irrigation, population pressure, and the desire to modernize Egypt led to the creation of the Aswan High Dam. Completed in 1971, it has its share of benefits and consequences. The new dam ended flooding, and its hydroelectric generators provide power for a third of Egypt. At 310 miles long, Lake Nasser, the man-made reservoir created by the dam, is among the largest in the world. Its waters, which provide irrigation and drinking water to Egypt and Sudan, can be released to regulate the depth of the Nile and ease navigation. But the creation of Lake Nasser caused the displacement of thousands of Nubians. Rising waters drowned temples and tombs. The dam trapped silt that had provided natural fertilization. Furthermore, the new environment affected fishing, and led to an increase in the snail population that carries the parasitic disease schistosomiasis. The following annotated bibliography is a brief survey of resources that address the advantages and disadvantages of damming the Nile.Star 1Annotated BibliographyAbu-Zeid, M. A., and F. Z. El-Shibini. "Egypt's High Aswan Dam." International Journal of Water Resources Development 13.2 (1997): 209-218. 2 Mar. 2006 <http://www.lib.ncsu.edu:2053/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=7620462>.Abu-Zeid, M. A., & El-Shibini, F. Z. (1997). Egypt's high Aswan dam. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 13(2), 209-218. Retrieved March 2, 2006, from http://www.lib.ncsu.edu:2053/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=7620462This article was written for a scholarly journal by two experts in the field of water resource development: an advisor (El-Shibini) to the National Water Research Center, an organization within Egypt's Ministry of Public Works for Water Resources, of which the other (Abu-Zeid) is Minister. Rigorous and in depth, it details the benefits of the Aswan High Dam, providing technical data on social and economic impacts, including water security and availability, land reclamation, conversion of irrigation, increases in crop yield, hydropower output, and improvements in navigation and tourism. Biased towards the dam’s success, it briefly reports the results of favorable studies meant to answer some of the dam’s initial criticisms, such as silt and sediment trapping, degradation and erosion, water quality, and waterborne diseases. Although technical in detail, the language is not difficult. The article provides a useful selection of facts and figures collected 25 years after completion of the dam.Biswas, Asit K. "Aswan Dam Revisited: The Benefits of a Much-Maligned Dam." D+C Magazine for Development and Cooperation 6 (2002): 25-27. 18 Mar. 2006. <http://www.inwent.org/E+Z/1997-2002/de602-11.htm>.Biswas, A. K. (2002). Aswan dam revisited: The benefits of a much-maligned dam. D+C Magazine for Development and Cooperation, 6, 25-27. Retrieved March 18, 2006, from http://www.inwent.org/E+Z/1997-2002/de602-11.htmThis article was originally published in a non-academic trade periodical and has been reproduced at numerous Web sites. Its author is the President of the Third World Centre Star 2for Water Management (TWCWM). The article reports an initial assessment of a major study conducted by the TWCWM on economic, social, and environmental impacts of the Aswan High Dam. Of particular interest is the article’s consideration of world politics involved in the building of the dam, and of myths generated by those politics. The author suggests that although it was built in an era prior to environmental impact studies, once financial support came from the USSR, instead of the US, western journalists were immediately critical of the dam. He adds that these criticisms were based solely on conjecture, yet are still regarded today. The author then praises the dam’s economic benefits, providing monetary figures that show increases in agriculture, hydropower generation, and navigation. He relates measures taken to remedy downstream effects of the dam, and reports a recovery of the fishing industry and a decline in schistosomiasis. The article has a persuasive tone. In spite of a positive bias, its discussion of political history and nearly current (2002) assessment of the benefits and consequences of the dammake it well worth reading.Brown, Jeff L. "Researchers Unravel Mystery of Eroding Egyptian Monuments." Civil Engineering 1.9 (2001): 22. 18 Mar. 2006.<http://www.lib.ncsu.edu:2053/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=5139484>.Brown, J. L. (2001). Researchers unravel mystery of eroding Egyptian monuments. Civil Engineering, 1(9), 22. Retrieved March 18, 2006, from http://www.lib.ncsu.edu:2053/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=5139484This is a news article from a non-academic trade periodical published by the American Society of Civil Engineers. It discusses research performed by Richard Stephenson, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Missouri, who has found that temples downstream of the Aswan High Dam are deteriorating due to a rising water table resulting from changes in irrigation and drainage practices. Written in non-technical Star 3language, the article is useful for its description of the way that cycles of capillary action and evaporation are turning sandstone foundations into sand.Fahim, Hussein M. Dams, People and Development: The Aswan High Dam Case. New York: Pergamon Press, 1981.Fahim, H. M. (1981). Dams, people and development: The Aswan high dam case. New York: Pergamon Press.In this scholarly book, an anthropologist brings a very human perspective to the building of the Aswan High Dam. Personally involved in studying the Nubian resettlement in Egyptand Sudan, the author