THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MAIN NILE FOR THE BENEFIT OF EGYPT AND THE SUDAN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79S01008A000100090002-2
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 13, 2000
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: May 10, 1955
• Content Type: OUTLINE

eR OFFICIAL USE ONLY --
Approved For Release 2000/08/29 : CIA-RDP7990#008A000100090002-2
eam, KHARTOUM. DSP 211, 10 MAY 195,,
,UMV TiINKING ON MAIN NILE DEVELOPMENT. pp. 19
The Development of the Main Wile for the Benefit of
Egyp a e u an
A. 'Introduction
The Male nile
1. The object of this note is to discuss the future development
of the Main Nile between Khartoum and Wadi Haifa. It is right and
proper that this development shall benefit both Egypt and the
Sudan.,, but at the same time it is only reasonable that those who
live on the bane of the Main Nile shall suffer as little as posei-
ble. The plans for development which are explained below have been
erewn up in accordance with these principles.
Xis es deeivable that all development plans for the Main Nile
should be designed to serve as many useful purposes as possible.
Moreover they must be co-ordinated so so to form integral partsof
a easter Plan. This emphasis on the need for co-ordinated multi-
perpoee development is in accordance with the best modern practice,
ns teugplified (for instance) by the famous Tennessee Valley
Authority. It is also essential that the Master Plan for the Main
slral form a part of a greater Master Plan for thedevelopin,g
of the Nile as a whole.
ate Lakes as Storage Reservoir
e
-1,11 the Great Lakes of Uganda evaporation is almost balanced
ey reinfell when the year is taken as a whole, and net lossee are
therefore negligible. This is in great contrast to Aswan where
tbm? mama evaporation loss is one of the highest in the world and
esenfall is negligible. Indeed, the Main Nile as a whole is a bad
elece for Overyear Storage, although conditions improve slightly
teveLas Khartoum where the rainfall becomes appreciable.
The conclusion to be drawn from the contrast in not evaporation
losses between the Great Lakes and the Main Nile is that the latter
ehould be used for Overyesr Storage only after the former have been
aeve1oped to the fullest possible extent.. Transmission losses do -
eot effect the problem, for they will usually be approximately
:proilortional to the discharge. This means that they must be in-
curred sooner or llzter, but at the time when the seater actually
eaesee down the river will make little difference.
State Dept. declassification & release instructions on file
Approved For Release 20140egkiigigkprias01008A000100090002-2
6thifigibigt fltikt5019s o 0
Approved For Release 2 . - 08A000100090002-2
Noe
5 .
To start by buiiding an immense dam on the Main Zile is hydro-
logically aneiee. The Equatorial Nile Project for Overyear Storage
i. the Great Lakee has been worked out in considerable detail, and
is techrically sounel. Its main features we dams to store water
in Laker Victoria and Albert, and a bypase canal to avoid losses in
the exteasive ewampn of the South. There is no point in impounding
oa the Nein Wile water which could be more effectively stored in
the Great Lakes.
6. Although excellent overyear-storage sites for Egypt, the Great
Jelkes are sowelthat less suitable for the Sudan because they cannot
? oupply water directly to the Blue Nile, upon which river the Gezira
Scheme depends. For this reason Lake Tans is a better place at
which to provide Overyear Storage for the Sudan. The net evaporation
loss would be somewhat greater than in Uganda, but very much less
than on the Main Nile. Other sites for overyear-storage dams could
probably. be found on the upper reaches of the Blue Nile, and,
the silt problem could be dealt with, they ought to be
better than sites on the Main Nile. For the Sudan they would have
the important additional advantage of lying upstream frad the wain -
lreigetion offtake.
Melti-Furpose Develowpnt
7. The main purposes for which the Main Nile can usefully be
developed are as follows in order of their importance:
(a) Irrigation
(b) Hydro-Electric Poster
(c) Flood Protection
(d) Navigation
Iraigation must unquestionably take pride of places but in the
pest there has been a tendency to concentrate upon it almost
crelaeively. At the other end of the scale Navigation is undoubt-
ealy the least *portant purposes but it is not for that reason
te be entirely neglected. Hitherto the great possibilities of
eresee development on the Main Nile have not been fully appreciated,
bae the time has now come to take them into account. The importance
of Flood Protection is obvious, but it shaald not be llaved to
ineerere seriously with plans for generating hydroelectric power.
Ta order to develop theMain Nile for any of these purposes
it will be necessary to build dams, the size and position of which
will depend upon the purposes in view. The sections immediately
following will be devoted to considering hew the dams ahould be
planned for each separate purpose in turn. An attempt will then be
tas6e to euggest in broad outline a Master ,?lan for developing the
AvAn Nile between Khartoum and Wadi Haifa. In'conclasion propcsale
will be pat forward for working out detailed plans to develop each
of the dam sites suggeated.
- 2 -
Approved For Release 20bt0knFtIAVISP4'?S01008A000100090002-2
e#IICIAL USE ONY
, Approved For Wease 2000/08/29 : CIA-RDP79904008A000100090002-2
igation
Uenerae Peinciples
It e storaee dem is built solely for irrigation purpoeme its
eWjeet vall be te ieceease the natural floe of the river during the
low aeaeon by ienouedlug vater during the noel? If a reservoir is
eaetied every year, the process is described as Annual Storage. If
there is a carry-over.frem one year to another with the object of
enioneine bed floods aee.net good ones, the process is described
f.,18 Ovary ear Seorage.
kO,
?or Overyeer Stoeage to be effective the capacity of the
eeeervoir must be large, but quite apart from this the requirements
of the to systems are different. For Anneal Storage the distance
arom tte dams to the offtakes of the irrigation canals Should be as
evell as possible in order to maintain flexibility. For everjear
atoreae, on the other bead, this distance is of relatively small
Importanee? provided that always there is a balancing reservoir
(which eau be qaite small) not far above the offtake.
. Other things being equal, it is deairable that net evaporation
loseen daould be as law as possible per exalt? metre of water storee?
The ideal site is therefore one where a deep reservoir can store the
repaired volume of water in a moist climate. With Overyear Storage
it is particularly important to reduce the net evaporation loss,
-44CM12141, Udell a reservoir will hardly ever be empty.
12.
atorage
. _ .
On these peinciales Asvan is the best place oa the Main Mile
at which to provide annual storage for the use of Egypt. This is
aeeeese ehc irrigated area of Egypt can be said for practical
aaeosee to bete here, end there is no good dam site further Morthe
:aeee is, however, a limit to the volume of eater that can be
'aeurdea at amen without flooding the to-en end district of Wadi
Yeeau.
tae preeent vosetiou is that the full- supply level of the
aueee reiervoir cannet be rained eaareciably without endangering
it region. Oader these circumstances the best place at
eeaeh to provide mere Annual Storage for BEypt is the Second
eaaxeuct, vhice is in few kilometers above the town of Wadi lalfa.
In ihe Speer eeen reaches of the Mein Wile are very eaaaFa)Y
,eaeolted, but ethers support a dense riveeeke populetaon which
eeeeele for it livelihood on irrigation vutee drawn from the Nil.
'6ee fcceer the banks are usually rocay rind cataracts are comma
in eee latter the Wane come down to the river, and irrigation can
ae eracticed vaere the soil is not too sandy. The most important
Irrigable reachee aee as follows:
-
(a) For about 60 kilometres ea:the ele fro abartoum.
Approved For Release 2000/08/29: CIA-RDP79S01008A000100090002-2
- 3 -
WiR OFF/MAL USE OMIY
1' 4
' Approved ForRelease2000108/29,LGIA4RDP1BS01008A000100090002-2
1F4:
(a) From Li Uwe, at tbe tail o the Sabaloka Gorge,
to Abidiya, at the head of the Fifth Cataract.
(c) F2C herelk, at the tail of the Fifth Catarect,
to Abu a:med.
(d) From thri, at the tail of the Fourth Cataract, to
Neeisa? at the head of the 'hrd Cataract.
(e) Fran Wadi Haifa; at the tail of the Second Cataract
to Egyptian Frontier.
'iletween her= aaa Kasha (which is new the heed of the Dal Cataract)
there is a certain amount of irrigations pertLcularly in the neigh-
'aourhood of Delge and Abri.
Yt Vollows from 'able description of tao main irrigable reaches
ti'Mt the best tieices to provide Annul Storage for the use of the
eseaer aru:-
freca,s,r
4
) The Sabeloka (.orge, 'which is as near to Rhartoum as
%oval aopoaaphy will allow.
(lb) The Fifth Cataract.
(c) The tall of the Fourth Catarect, where a site at
..i.feedeb Island has been chosef exa investigated by the
.:3,eypt-lun Irrigation Departmeet.
le7,) The Second Cataract, where upstrans uite nese Geesi
eas oleo been investigated be the Egyptian Department.
s Stozefe oa the Main Wile
e; eX, so a lest oet, Oveeyear Storage is to be provided on
Str- aein Wile, there are twe main principles to ta' followed in
eheesing sitee. in he first place they amid be such that none
of
the in lerigable reaches listed in paragraph 14 is flooded,
leepealy it is deseirable that the volume of water should be as
1,0eee Les poesiale for a given height of dav. The first of these
aveneiples poiats to Hamdab Island and the Second Cataract as snit
ea-ie site, for they both lie at the tail of a barren reach and
'eve-Alstely above an irrigable reach.
3e
?
ihe secoad of the main principles for locating an overyeer-
eteeege dam calls for a site at the daunt:stream end of -a reach where
eae slope is relatively fiat. A site of this type has been chosen
ay aeept for the proeosed Sieber Aswan Dam, which is it this respect
eevealy pleened. There are several such .sates in the Sudan but there
oeeeers to be .only seee above which it it possible te *pound a large
eelumn of water without flooding a large area of irrigable Danl.
-
OFFICIAL USE OBLX
Approved For Release 200'0/08/29 : CIA-RDP79S01008A000100090002-2
7.7i7)1i USE OIA
Approved Foralivlease 2000/08/29 : CIA-RDP79964008A000100090002-2
This promising site is the head of the Dal Cataract, a few
ee.lve nerth of Kesha. From here to the tail of the Third Cataract
Me elope of the river appears to be reiaeivoly flat. Between
Dal Cataract and Wadi Haifa there are a number of places thet
eo favour the construction of a &ea, notably the Sena
Gorge. It might well be found convenient to suppleMent the dam at
tbe Pa Cataract with another at the Semna Gorge.
Coeclueion
Sertmarising the above discussion, we can say that dams Intend-
fee to ei;ore irrigation water on the Main ii1e should be sited as
(m) Additional Annual Storage for Ygypt should be at the
Bezond Cataract.
(b) The best sites for Annual Storage for the Sudan are
the Sabloka Gorge, the Fifth Cataract, Hamdab Isli
gnd the Second Cataract.
Overyear Storage should be provided on the Main Nile
only after the potentialities of the Great Lakes ane.
170 the 'Upper Blue Bile have been developed.
(d) If Overyear Storage on the Fain Nile is eventually
;Ascind to be necessary, the test sites are Namdtb
Xeland, the Dal Cataract, the Samna Gorge, and the
'leoond Cateract.
?nvA iawer
Thrproposals for building a series cf dams on the Main Nile
eummeied as follows: -
4
Summsrv of Proposals
Approved For Release 20jagglikag?c3
?? ?
S01008A000100090002-2
cal OFFICIAL USE our --
Approved For Release 2000/08/29 : CIA-RDP795484008A000100090002-2
Smbaloka Gorge
Probably Storatie
?Otterot71,13,
Caysacitil.n.
Milliard Ma
Prebable Power
Available in
enema.
50,000
Fifth Cataract
2
100,000
ffsniab Ialand
10
200,000
Val Cataract
. 25
Sep= Gorse
5
250,000
Uecond Cataract
3
150,000
750,000
All these figures are approximate, particularly those for storage
ila:peeity (except that for liamdab Inland, which alone has been
iccurately computed). The estimates for power available are based
on 10,000 firm HP per metre drop at low water as explained in
y]paagraPd 26 above.
The total volume of storage capacity proposed is very much
lels than the sugges.ted capacity of the reservoir behind the
3her Aswan D. Bevertheless, it is believed that a total
sWrage of 45 Ailliards on the Main Bile mould make it possible
.to esUiblish an almost complete control of the river, provided
that the Great Lakes were used effectively as .overyeer-storage
zeaervoirs. The importance of so using them is explained in
3netion A above.
Approved For Release 20
- 6 -
ga2c;SARERINS01008A000100090002-2