Efforts towards total control of the Nile discharge
Since Nile water is essential not only for Egypt, but also for its southern
neighbour the Sudan among others, various agreements have been made
between these two states during the past century, and also with other states
sharing the Nile basin, to secure the water requirements of the two countries.
Two official Nile water agreements between Egypt and the Sudan were signed
(see Table 6.3):
• The first was signed in 1929 under colonial influence in connection with
the construction of the Sennar Dam in the Sudan with the help of which
the British wanted to develop the irrigation scheme of the Gezira. The
heightening of the old Aswan Dam was also part of this agreement. Ac-
cording to its terms the Sudan was to fulfil its Nile water requirements
mainly during the time of the Nile flood when Egypt had a surplus of
water. When the water level was low, i.e. at the time of water shortage
downstream, Egypt was to have priority over the water. To make this pos-
sible Egypt constructed the Djebel-el-Aulia Dam with a storage capacity of
3.5 billion m3
 on Sudanese territory on the White Nile south of Khartoum
in 1937. Its water was released in spring at the time of a low water level,
to serve Egypt’s needs.
• The second agreement was concluded in 1959 in connection with the
planning of the Sadd el-Ali, the High Dam of Aswan. It allows Egypt to
use 55.5 billion m3
 of Nile water annually, while the Sudan is entitled to
18.5 billion m3
. The annual water loss in the storage lake through evapora-
tion and seepage was calculated to be 10 billion m3
.