My Teenage Life in Egypt

Canals through the desert like this one are part of the New Valley Project, an ambitious plan to spread the Nile’s waters even farther.

reachingEgypt. Ethiopia andSudanbothhave increasing populations that need to be fed. Ethiopiawants to build a number of dams for irrigation and power, which would cut off some of the water Egypt desperately needs. Egypt fiercely opposes such projects. The damdoes have some drawbacks. Up to 10 percent of LakeNasser’s water is lost through evaporation. Another problem is that the nutritious silt can’t pass through the dam. That means farmers must use artificial fertilizer rather than natural nutrients and the silt builds up in the river. That raises thewater level and increases the chances of an overflow. Some

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