meaning that two or three
crops, instead of just one, could be grown each year. The area
under cultivation has also increased by about a million acres,
especially through the reclamation of desert land: With more
water available, it became possible to irrigate the desert fringes
of the Nile Valley and delta, particularly the area just west of
the delta, between Cairo and Alexandria. Hydroelectricity for
the country’s commercial and residential needs is produced
at the dam’s power station (it generates about 25 percent of the
country’s electricity). The dam also prevents destructive floods
and provides water during periods of drought.