What was Egypt purpose in building the Aswan high dam?

Answer 1

Advantages:

1) The dam has meant that there is plenty of fresh and clean drinking water for the people of Egypt. They get their drinking water from Lake Nasser.

2) The Aswan Dam is also a hydroelectric power station. It has 12 turbines or engines which produce 10 billion kilowatts of electricity every year. The water from the river Nile turns the turbines and makes electricity. The electricity is taken from the dam by cables and is used in factories and home all over Egypt. People use the electricity for cooking, lighting, watching television and many other activities.

3) Water from Lake Nasser is pumped into people's homes all over Egypt and is used for washing, drinking and in washing machines.

4) Factories also use the water for cooling and for making things.

5) Bigger boats can now travel down the River Nile. These boats carry cargo and people who are on cruises. The Aswan High Dam has made the River Nile more navigable. Navigable means that boats can use the river.

6) The Aswan High Dam keeps the depth of the water in the Nile at the same level throughout the year. There are gates in the dam. If the river level is low, more gates can be opened to let more water from Lake Nasser into the river Nile. If the river level is high, then some of the gates can be shut so that the water level can return to normal.

7) Farmers use water from the River Nile to irrigate their crops. Before the Aswan dams were built, the River Nile used to flood every year. No one knew exactly when the flood would occur. Now, the Egyptian government can flood the land when they need to.

8) Flooding of the Nile has stopped and used to destroy crops and kill cattle and people.

Answer 2

Positive impacts

· availability of water at any time for agricultural purposes

· improved management of water supply throughout the Egyptian water system

· due to increase in water supply, more areas can be used for agriculture purposes

· protection from high floods as well as from low floods

· generation of hydroelectric power to supply villages with electricity.

Answer 3

Before the dams were built, the River Nile flooded each year during summer, as water flowed down the valley from its East African drainage basin. These floods brought high water, plus natural nutrients and minerals that continuously enriched the fertile soil along the river and made the Nile valley ideal for farming, as it had since ancient times. As Egypt's population grew and conditions changed, there came a desire to control the flood waters to both protect and support farmland and economically important cotton fields. In high-water years, the whole crop might be wiped out, while in low-water years widespread drought and famine occasionally occurred. With the reservoir storage provided by these dams, the floods could be lessened, and the water could be stored for later release

Answer 4

Advantages:

1) The dam has meant that there is plenty of fresh and clean drinking water for the people of Egypt. They get their drinking water from Lake Nasser.

2) The Aswan Dam is also a hydroelectric power station. It has 12 turbines or engines which produce 10 billion kilowatts of electricity every year. The water from the river Nile turns the turbines and makes electricity. The electricity is taken from the dam by cables and is used in factories and home all over Egypt. People use the electricity for cooking, lighting, watching television and many other activities.

3) Water from Lake Nasser is pumped into people's homes all over Egypt and is used for washing, drinking and in washing machines.

4) Factories also use the water for cooling and for making things.

5) Bigger boats can now travel down the River Nile. These boats carry cargo and people who are on cruises. The Aswan High Dam has made the River Nile more navigable. Navigable means that boats can use the river.

6) The Aswan High Dam keeps the depth of the water in the Nile at the same level throughout the year. There are gates in the dam. If the river level is low, more gates can be opened to let more water from Lake Nasser into the river Nile. If the river level is high, then some of the gates can be shut so that the water level can return to normal.

7) Farmers use water from the River Nile to irrigate their crops. Before the Aswan dams were built, the River Nile used to flood every year. No one knew exactly when the flood would occur. Now, the Egyptian government can flood the land when they need to.

8) Flooding of the Nile has stopped and used to destroy crops and kill cattle and people.

Answer 5

Egypt and Sudan