Ancient Egypt Water Crisis

A nation with a lot to lose. The huge, industrial and overpopulated country we know as China, is going through a water scarcity crisis. North China’s lack of water affects more of the region than anyone can imagine. Causing negative problems for food supply, economic development, political stability, and international relations, including drying up their major rivers. What are creating these complications? Global Warming, Urbanization and Population Growth, and Industrialization are the three main causes of China’s water crisis. Of these, the biggest driver is Industrialization.

Air, food, water, they are the keys of people to survive, it is no doubt that people can’t survive without anyone of these, thus, water is one of crucial thing that people need. In recent year, water sustainability become a popular topic because water scarcity is quite serious around the world, about 1.2 billion people or nearly 20% of the world’s population face physical scarcity, another 25% of population live in a country which lack of necessary equipment to get water from river or lake (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2014) ，and water sustainability is to make sure people have clean water to use in future. Egypt face a water problem, bad location and inefficient water use, but government have some solutions like use water more efficient and reduce waste. Israel used to be a water scarcity country, but now, this problem has been solved by new technology.

A new comprehensive study conducted by Dr Arjen Hoestra of the Netherlands’ University of Twente, demonstrates that water scarcity around the world is a getting worst than ever. Water shortage is becoming a global issue that may result in regional conflicts, economic losses and environmental risks.

The Nile River is 4,187 miles long. It is also the longest river in the world. It is important to the Ancient Egyptian people because it provides them with a source of food and transportation. They grew wheat, barley, and flax along the river. They also grew papyrus which was used to make the first paper. The Nile River allowed them to trade with other countries and civilizations for resources that they did not have. The Nile was very useful for the Egyptians farming. They would open the flood gates to let water in during the dry season. This allowed them to control irrigation. They also counted on the natural flooding of the river to water their crops. They developed the first 365-day calendar to track the flooding of the Nile. It is because of the Nile River that Ancient Egypt grew into a prosperous civilization.

Among all sectors in Egypt, agriculture consumes the largest budget of available water supplies, with its share exceeding 80% of the total gross demand for water. In case the actual consumption of water is considered (water supply minus the water that is returned to the system), the share of agricultural demands is even higher at more than 95%. The area of cultivated land raised from 5.8 Million fed. in 1980 to about 8.0 Million fed. in 1997. Therefore, the consumptive use of water in agriculture has been steadily increased from an estimated 29.4 BCM/yr. to 38.5 BCM/yr. during the same period (1980-1997). This increase has been made possible by an increase in agricultural drainage water reuse, the abstraction of groundwater and a decrease in the fresh water outflow to the sea. In 1997, the total amount of diverted water for irrigation was 57.8 BCM/yr, (MWRI 2005). In 2010, the total agricultural withdrawal was accounted at 67.0 BCM (about 86% of available water supply), (AusAID 2011). Any water becoming additionally available will primarily be used to irrigate new development areas and not to increase the supply to existing lands. Based on water inflow of 55.5 BCM/year, it is expected that by the year 2017 agricultural lands will cover about 11 million fed., and 63.6 BCM of water will be allocated for agriculture. The total agricultural water consumption in 2017 is estimated at 38.7

Another reason for the water scarcity crisis is global warming. Global warming is when there is a gradual increase in overall temperature. This causes water to evaporate quicker therefore drying up major rivers and lakes. Additionally causing fresh water glaciers to melt. In fact according to MSNBC report, glaciers in the Qinghai-Tibet plateau are shrinking approximately 7% each year due to global warming (Doc A). This can cause water scarcity because the water stored up in the glaciers will fall into the ocean and can cause huge floods wasting water and causing water

Although upon first glance water seems like a simple issue, the effects of the water shortages are great on the many aspects of the developing economy and world of South Sudan, which is evident in the national and international affairs, education, economy, social, disease control, gender equality and so much more. As discussed in previous paragraphs, the civil war and international war causes water stress, but water availability also becomes worse with the growing conflict due to increased displacement (Barton and “Shortage”). It is estimated that a total of 152, 000 displaced citizens are a result of Upper Nile conflicts only, and the number endlessly grows (“Shortage”). Ten people die a day due to the water shortages, and it is estimated

The Egyptians discovered that unlike other rivers, the Nile flowed from south to north and was in flood at the warmest time of the year. This was a mystery to the ancient Egyptians, why the river flooded and flowed this way as apposed to flowing north from the sea to south. This added to the Magical beliefs and influences of the Nile.

This summary is about water crisis. One must remember that just, talking about the water crisis isn't just gabbling about the prediction of what could happen if we don't straighten up and do things right. It is happening

Agricultural production undoubtedly forms the backbone of any nation, through provision of food and raw materials to many industries. However, agricultural practices have direct relationship with water quality. Improperly managed agricultural practices have specifically affected the surface water in lakes, rivers, and other water sources. This has been possible through the increased use of farming chemicals such as pesticides, sediments, contamination by soil nutrients, or even alteration of stream flow. These practices have been more pronounced in horticultural farming, where the increased demand for horticultural products has called for modernized farming practices of using chemical farming (Stefanelli, Goodwin, & Jones, 2010). In addition, use of fertilizers and pesticides, increased tillage practices, irrigation activities, and poor drainage structures have significantly affected quality of water and hydrology.

To this country, which oil used to be all important, water is the most valuable thing. Since their water supply has started to run dry, water has been the most important thing to the country. As the water supply depletes, the fighting over the water rites of rivers and lakes will increase. There is already fighting between refugees and jordanians over water. Peter Schwartzstein states “water shortages have gotten so bad, they’ve already sparked clashes between refugees and native Jordanians, and the officials charged with catering to booming demand with a shrinking supply are beginning to panic”(schwartzstein 1). The water supply is so low the government is starting to panic and the people are fighting over the water. As water becomes a more important thought to peoples lives; the idea of terrorist using the water supply increases. Terrorists will think more on containmenting the water to kill as many people as possible. Since the people will need the water so desperately it will make a bigger impact which is always the goal of terrorists. Susan Goldenberg also says “As water shortages become more acute beyond the next 10 years, water in shared basins will increasingly be used as leverage; the use of water as a weapon or to further terrorist objectives will

In the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) countries as much as 50% of their food is imported [1]. These countries are currently seeing the troubles of not having enough water to grow and supply them with enough food. In the future other regions of the world may become less inclined to trade with the MENA countries, because their own countries are consuming all of their food. The region has suffered from a decline in water availability which is only projected to decline even further in the next few decades [1]. The struggles of this region could be a preview for many other regions around the world if the water shortages continue as projected. By

Water has always been -- and will always remain -- the basis of life on Earth. Scientists have yet to find a single living and breathing creature that is able to survive without the supply of such a powerful substance. Humans can live for a month without food, yet we can only survive a week without water (Ali Gold Robets). The importance of water has not been as truly appreciated as it should be until now. With water reservoirs shrinking, the global water crisis will only continue to grow. Within the next decade, humanity will begin to see a shift where water will replace oil as our most valuable resource.

One of Egypt’s greatest challenges today is lack of sufficient basic infrastructure such as water and sewage facilities. Two of the water sources in Egypt are the ground water in Nile valley and the River Nile which is the major source of fresh water in Egypt. The annual share of Egypt’s utilized water amounts to a fixed 55.5 billion. Both sources provide for the people water, but due to the increase in population, the demand is now higher. Apart from being scarce, the limitations affecting these sources mainly relate to location, quality, quantity as well as cost of development (Ray, 2009).

Tourism sectors demanded a reliable water supply. Increasing tourism will also increase demand on wastewater treatment, increase the demand for safe and high-value agricultural products, and encourage recreational uses of water. Thus climate induced water shortages would definitely severely affect tourism activities (Nour El-Din, 2013).