WATER FOR EGYPT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 31 May 1930, Page 14

WATER FOR EGYPT

USE OF BLUE NILE GREAT IRRIGATION SC^EMEf VAST NEW FERTILE ACRES ■■■ After more than, of' a> century of fruitless effort a real step-in advance has been taken in regard to the great scheme to turn Lake Tsana, the head waters of the Blue Nile in Abyssinia, into'a vast reservoir which will serve to bring countless fresh,acres of land in the Sudan and Egypt under cultivation. An agreement has recently been sighod at Addis Abada, the Ethiopian capital, between representatives .of England, the Sudan, Abyssinia, aiuktlie S. Gv White Engineering Corporation of' NewYork, by which emissaries-ttf ■• the! • Ijjtft nanied shall make a detailed survey of the lake as soon as the' rains end Jn October or November, '. with a 'view- to ddciding the best method of retaining until the winter months the .huge quanta ties of water which at present flow down uselessly into tho sea during the summer floods. They will also . investigate tho possibility of building .a niotor, road from Addis Abada to tllo-lake. . -

These two surveys ; take at least a year, after which, if.tall.' goes well, the "interested parties will meet again to draw up a final agreeinen.fc for the necessary constructional SVOrk'v. ahd. the extent of the Concessions to be allowed; ,

LORD KITCHENER'S IDEA

Great Britain has been interested, in this project ever since 1902, when a treaty was signet! By; which iesty Emperor Menelik 11. King of Kings of Ethiopia., engages himself toward the Government of his' Britannic Majesty not to construct or. alloW.(to be ed any' work across the Blue Nil 6,'Lake Tsana, or the tributary ;of< the Nile—which would' arfest the flow- of their waters into the- Nile,' except -in agreement with his Britannic Majesty's Government and the Government of the Sudan." . :'■■; - : V. : .;.- ,>..,' The late Lord Kitchener conceived the idea of the construction of a barrage at the head of Lake Tsana; when heeffectS ed the-conquest of the Sudan. -Wnile th&! negotiations progressed/ on friendly lines—the British Government acting in fiduciary capacity for the sire of Abyssinia was'that task of constructing the dam should'lta undertaken by neutral. interests... This is one of the reasons why .an'"Americanj firm is to undertake th<s work. - CAREFUL BRITISH SURVEY;:'.,; British interest in the scheme is based on the Sudan's need. for ah adequate supply of water. The-present Supply, meets" immediate requirements, f ~ but, looking.'ahead for,a can be ■=pen that a greater supply may be needed. ■' :'-..■■' , ■■■:'■'■',' :?■]..

, ' Lake Tsana-.: has ..already. b;een fullv surveyed by & couple' of" British engineers. Messrs Grabham and Black, who reported that there isja.natural.dam across practically the' whole" of"'' the southern corner of the lake where the Blue Nile debouches. .The configuration of the lake is such, they say in their.re-' port, "that it might. bV. said'to have been designed by providence: -toVf a'cilj: • tate the utilisation of the water. ..'of the lake for the benefit .of : cultivators in the Sudan and Egypt without 'need;:tointerfere with the amenities of the. peo-. pie living around the lake.'' .'.' _. _ Tlie engineers'estimate that by-raising the winter level of the lake by si>j feet some 8,000,000,000' cubic- feet of -.water could be stored. Allowing ; for eyap'or'a-:: tion and other losses -en..,route; .this would mean 5,000,000,000 cubic. fefet of water to the fields of the Sudan and Egypt, which is ahout.twice..the amount at present contained; by .;• the great Assuan Dam—the main, source'of Egypt's water for irrigation. •_,'_! .. Conditions for building the Tsana dam being so extremely favourable.;'Messrs. Grabham and Black put the .cost of; the, construction work at no more • '' -than £2,500,000, to which they/add. a'.further i £1,000,000 for a motor road ,to. the', Su--. dan frontier for the purpose -of -bring- j ing up supplies. ._.. '._. ! \ •■•: The cost of a similar 1 road ' to Addis Ababa, would be far''in excess of j this * figure owing to'the fact that thej-road .would, have to cross a whole sene's:;of mountain ranges and' innumerable rivers. But/no doubt political reasons make it essential to see,,. whether this route is practicable. '■: . -'"->;.:■ ''■'".■ ■>'.'4: : '',