Nile: Preserving Peace and Endangered Waters

“Our success depends on our ability to work as a team to overcome the hurdles and exploit the opportunities that exist. This means that cooperation and only cooperation is the key to our future.”

Martha Karua, Kenyan Minister of Water Resources Management and former Chairperson of the Nile Basin Council of Ministers

Traversing 6,700 kilometres, the Nile River drains more than 3 million square kilometers, about a tenth of the entire African landmass, and is formed by three major tributaries. It is one of the world’s great rivers. For millennia, this unique waterway has nourished varied livelihoods, an array of ecosystems, and a rich diversity of culture.

The primary problem facing the Nile and the countries it serves—Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Eritrea—has to do with the scarcity and the overuse of the water. With an increasing population and the need to grow more food with irrigation, there is not enough water for all the uses without water conservation measures. Related to this ongoing freshwater scarcity is the uneven distribution among countries and between one time of the year and another.

Threats to the Nile’s varied and valued ecology include declining water quality, upstream soil erosion, increased pollution from domestic, agricultural and industrial sources, invasive alien species, and the continuing loss of wetlands and forests. The livelihoods, culture, and health of the poor are also affected by these deficiencies. Entire communities depend on continued functioning of wetland systems that are in danger of drying up.

Regional leaders and experts alike have noted that national, regional, and international efforts are needed to reduce and reverse both environmental degradation and the ravages of poverty in the Nile River basin. Recognizing these concerns, the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) was launched in 1999. Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, with Eritrea as an active observer and future member—have pooled their strengths, hopes, and resources—working towards transborder cooperation. The NBI, an interim institutional arrangement, is focusing on developing a regional partnership to promote economic development and fight poverty throughout the basin.

The vision behind the NBI is to achieve sustainable socioeconomic development through the equitable access and use of Nile Basin water. This approach is encouraged by the growing realization that neither poverty nor environmental degradation stops at national borders.

This constructive regional approach has met with widespread encouragement and tangible support from the international community, including the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The GEF has a track record of investment in environmental projects involving transborder waterways. In the Nile region, as elsewhere, the GEF has supported consultative processes leading to the development of a strategic analysis of the situation, known in this case as the Trans-boundary Environmental Analysis (TEA). The TEA is the product of consultations at both the national and regional levels among a broad spectrum of stakeholders—including experts, policymakers, and civil society.

The TEA is a synthesis of the “environmental trends, threats and priorities” of the Nile basin, and includes an agenda for environmental action. The latter encompasses national and international activities required to deal with threats and respond to opportunities. It emphasizes the need to overcome poverty while helping to protect the ecological health of the river and of the terrestrial environment. In fact, the TEA was adopted by ministers responsible for water use in the basin.

GEF is now funding the implementation of the Agenda for Environmental Action in the Nile Basin. Working with both the World Bank and UNDP, the project has helped to fund and launch the Nile Transboundary Environmental Action Project (NTEAP), which is based on the findings of the TEA. This is the first of the seven projects under the Shared Vision subprogram to get started and is based in Sudan. NTEAP promotes regional cooperation and the sharing of knowledge and information, and seeks to reduce conflict by increasing communication, awareness, and education on Nile issues. This building of trust and confidence among nations is critical to ensure equity in future decisions on water resources.

A regional approach to the monitoring of water quality is another crucial objective being pursued under the NTEAP project. Here the aim is to start a “basin-wide dialogue” on water quality and to exchange and disseminate information on “key parameters.” Already, a Regional Water Quality Working Group that comprises experts from all the participating Nile countries has been established, and steps are being taken to determine the current quality of the surface water of the Nile, of connected lakes, and of other rivers.

While the TEAP only became operational in 2004, the very launching of the project is an indication of success given the divisive nature of water use issues. This effort is crucial when you consider the consequences of international disunity along the world’s longest river, especially at this vital juncture in the history of Earth’s freshwater supply.

Sustainable development of this region rests on water security and a stable relationship among the nations. GEF’s support for the Nile Basin Initiative represents important steps toward this end.

The GEF thanks Frank Campbell for contributing this story.